#that he was eventually just dulled down into brute

[oifaaa]

early redhood iterations had him as a super careful planner and someone who knows how to manipulate /people/. if you put all the robins in a tournament/maze/hunger games scenario, tim will try to engineer a way out of it, steph and dick will try to solve their way out of it, damian will try to fight his way, and jason will try to manipulate and pit everyone against each other to win

Tho I disagree with how you think some of the robins would fight I do agree Jason would have originally tried manipulation considering that used to be his main mo and I miss that so much

[0cta9on]

Unlikely Duet - 7

length: +7k words

Genre: Fluff

NewJeans Minji x Male Reader (OC)

(Author's Note: Finally, after almost 3 months of writing on and off, rereading and rewriting entire portions, and countless edits, I finally finished chapter 7 of UD :,] I'll get started on chapter 8 asap so it hopefully doesn't take as long. Enjoy!)

【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★

Yuno’s POV

I inhale deeply, letting the grassy aroma and fresh evening air fill my lungs. The full moon looks down at us with its gentle gaze, reflecting its light on our intimate moment. Street lights flicker in the town below us, mimicking the stars hanging in the indigo above. Minji shivers next to me as a cool breeze whistles by, and I instinctively wrap my arm around her for warmth. Her cheeks light up with a pretty pink hue that lingers in my vision longer than it should have.

“It’s really pretty tonight,” she comments, glancing up at the moon. I nod, but all my focus is on the girl next to me, more beautiful than any celestial body could hope to be. The wind makes her long, black hair float and ebb like a stream of the finest silk, while the Milky Way traps itself into her irises, containing the beauty of an entire galaxy in just her eyes alone. Being here with her, nothing to interrupt our moment. Everything feels perfect.

“Minji, I…” As if she can read my mind, she turns to me, a knowing smile on her face, and shuts her eyes, awaiting my next move. With a quivering breath, I slowly lean into her, the warmth emitting from her skin growing ever warmer. The last thing I see is her lips before my vision fades to black, and then nothing.

I open my eyes to find Minji gone, replaced by my ceiling fan. My body jolts upwards in confusion as I grasp at the bed sheets beneath me. Instead of the grassy hill overlooking the town, all I see is the familiar layout of my bedroom, taunting me with its stillness. A disappointed sigh leaves my lips - just a dream.

My phone sits on my bed, still open on Minji’s blank messages. How pathetic of me. I spent all night wracking my brain for a response and couldn’t find a single thing to say. I hover tentatively over the keyboard one last time, desperately searching for the right words to say, before eventually giving up and sending a text to the group chat instead.

Yuno: Good Morning.

To my surprise, Yujin and Winter respond rather quickly.

Yujin: GOOD MORNING!!!!

Winter: good morning :)

Yuno: What are you two up to?

Winter: working :/

Yujin: im taking care of my grandma today!!

With the two of them busy, I’m left to figure out how to spend my Sunday alone. I click over to Minji’s blank messages one last time, my heart palpitating with an uncommon anxiety. Whatever this feeling is, love or otherwise, it’s getting old quickly. Everything feels confusing, and unlike most of my problems, I can’t solve it with brute force alone. What am I even hoping for here? A relationship? I don’t know anything about relationships or dating or how to be a boyfriend. Minji’s boyfriend, huh? That sounds kinda nice-

No. We’re too different. I don’t exactly have any good points to me either. I mean, Minji is like… a shining star - beautiful and radiant, but unattainable. And I’m like a sad cockroach looking up at that star, put on this planet because someone up there decided to play a sick joke. We’re just friends and that’s okay. Yet, the dull pain in my chest tells me otherwise. With a heavy sigh and a couple thousand unanswered questions, I shoot her a simple “Good Morning” text, because that’s what friends say to each other.

The sizzling of melting butter on a griddle and the heavenly scent of warm maple syrup grows stronger as I descend the staircase toward the kitchen, my tastebuds salivating at the thought of my favorite food - pancakes. My dad is in the kitchen, hunched over a cookbook with a surgeon-like focus, as a stack of warm pancakes sits next to him with two more cooking on the stovetop.

“Good morning, Yuno,” he greets me with a wide smile. “Cooked up breakfast if you’re hungry. Help yourself.”

I quickly take a seat at the table and stack a couple of them onto my plate, my stomach grumbling with a vicious hunger. As I go in to take the first bite, the scent of pancake wafts through my nose, taking me back to the first morning I woke up in Minji’s house. Despite us being strangers at that point, she let me crash on her couch so I didn’t have to run home in the rain, offered me warm clothes to sleep in, and made waffles for me the morning after so I didn’t go to school hungry. She didn’t have to, but she did, and it made all the difference in my measly little life. Minji is just so… incredible. And beautiful. And intelligent and kind and sweet and-

“Uh, are you alright?” I hear my dad ask. “You’ve been staring at your pancakes for a while now.”

I shake my head, clearing my thoughts. “I-I’m fine.” That's a lie. I’m not fine. A girl, THE girl, is taking over my mind and my dreams, making my heart feel weird and my mouth feel dry. I like a girl that can’t possibly like me back and I’m just supposed to be fine with that. How do I even begin to explain this to anyone?

My dad sits across from me at the table and fills up his plate. The silence between us begins to grow as we eat, an air of unease and uncertainty filling the room. On top of my feelings for Minji, I now have to deal with my feelings regarding the state of my dad. It’s been years since I last saw him like this. He’s fine now, but what if he relapses? How did he even make such an abrupt change anyway when all I saw him doing was sleeping and drinking? I should be happy, but I can’t shake the feeling that he could just revert to his older self without warning. I can’t cling to hope for too long, otherwise I’ll be met with disappointment yet again.

“So, uh, I was thinking,” he says, nervously clearing his throat. “Would you wanna go to the mall later?”

I freeze like a deer in headlights, caught off guard by his sudden question. “The mall? Why?”

“You don’t have to go if you don’t wanna, I just thought…” He sighs heavily, dropping his expression to the floor. “I want to be your dad again, like old times, before your mother… left us. If you don’t want anything to do with me, I understand, but if it’s okay with you… I want a relationship with my son again.”

He looks into my eyes with a sincere expression, tears threatening to pour. A part of me wants to say no, to make up some lame excuse and wander the streets until it’s dark instead of spending any time with him. Maybe he’s right. Maybe I am harboring some resentment for him for leaving me, a child, alone all these years, left to watch my one remaining parent shatter into a million pieces every day until he’s nothing but dust. Maybe I got so used to being alone that the thought of relying on someone else again makes me uncomfortable. Maybe I get into these stupid fights and aimlessly walk around the neighborhood because I know that the only person waiting for me at home is constantly drunk and sleeping.

Despite that, I don’t say no. I nod my head and utter, “Okay,” because the other part of me wants to have my dad back regardless of what he did. I want to be able to come home after school, into a home with the lights on, where the air doesn’t constantly smell like alcohol, and have someone, anyone, ask how my day went. I want someone to rely on when life gets too difficult to handle by myself. I want my family again.

So we eat our breakfast in silence. The uncertainty lingers, but next to it is a warming sense of hope, holding its hand in reassurance.

______________________________________________________________

Minji’s POV

Knock, knock, knock

“Minji?”

Knock, knock, knock

“Honey, are you awake?”

I finally sit up, rubbing the drowsiness from my eyes. “Now I am,” I yawn, stretching out my limbs. The clock reads 7:12 AM, about an hour after I usually wake up on the weekends. My phone lay face up on my bed, still on Yuno’s empty messages. Like an idiot, I waited all night for a response from him, but all I got was an hour less of sleep. Maybe I shouldn’t have held my breath for him.

My mother swings my bedroom door wide open. “Oh good, you’re awake,” she says, pacing around my room and picking up some of my laundry off the ground. “Go eat breakfast and get washed up. We’re going to the mall in a bit.”

“The mall? Why?” I ask.

“Oh, y’know… Just some clothes shopping,” she says with a peculiar smile. “We need to update that closet of yours, dear.”

Too drowsy to argue, I get out of bed and head downstairs, where my father is taking a call in the kitchen. Wisps of steam float from the mug of black coffee sitting on the counter next to him, untouched as he presses his phone to his ear with an intense focus. He mouths “Good morning” to me, gesturing to a plate holding a fancy-looking omelet. I dig in, unintentionally eavesdropping on my father’s conversation.

“Mhm. Tuesday you said? No, it’s not a problem at all. Yes, she will be there, I’ll make sure of it. Yeah. Mhm. No problem. We’ll see you then.”

Finally, he hangs up the phone and sits next to me at the dining table. Wrinkles of exhaustion decorate his face, likely from working early in the morning.

“Did you sleep okay, Minji?” He asks. “You’re usually up earlier than this.”

“I slept fine. I thought I’d get some more studying done after I got home and forgot about the time,” I lie. I can’t even imagine how furious he would be if I told him that I stayed up all night waiting for a text from a boy.

He grins proudly at me. “I’m happy that you’re working hard on your studies, but good sleeping habits will keep our brain healthy.” His phone buzzes in his pocket. “I’ll be right back, I have to take this.” He leaves the room, leaving me alone in the kitchen with my omelet and my thoughts. Maybe Yuno isn’t going to text me. Maybe I should text him first instead. But shouldn’t the guy text first…?

A sigh leaves my lips. I'm way in over my head with prom preparations already, I definitely don’t have any room for a silly little crush. Perhaps these feelings are just one of circumstance. We’ve been bumping into each other everywhere, so these feelings will fade if I just avoid Yuno for a bit. Sounds easy enough, right?

______________________________________________________________

The mall is always busiest on the weekends, full of families and friends looking for new deals while carrying around soft pretzels or pointing out attractive people who pass by. This mall, however, is a bit different from most, reserving its entire top floor for high-end designer shops. There isn’t any sort of membership or secret password that prohibits people from entering the top floor, but it generally stays barren aside from the few wealthy shoppers who can afford to do more than just window shop, including my family. The blatantly obvious segregation between social classes is disgusting, but I would be lying if I said I don’t like being able to shop without stumbling through the thick crowds on the lower levels.

“What do you think about this one, dear?” My mother pulls a black dress off the hanger, presenting its fine, intricate detailing to me. Shimmering black beads are sewn into the fabric, probably taking countless hours to place by hand.

“It’s very pretty,” I comment plainly. By all means, it’s a beautiful dress, but I much prefer something more comfortable.

“Why don’t you go try it on, dear,” she says, handing me the dress. I glance at the price tag, causing my eyes to go wide in shock at the $120,000 price point. 

“$120,000? Isn’t that a bit much for a dress?” I ask, concern painting my face.

“Nonsense, Minji. Don’t you want to look good for the party?”

My brow furrows. “Party? What party?” My mother’s gaze wanders, avoiding me completely.

“Well, there’s no party in particular, but you never know what will come up. Just try on the dress please.” She pushes me into the dressing room before I can ask another question.

Right as I close the door behind me, I feel my phone buzz in my purse. My heart skips a beat from the words on the screen - 1 new message from Yuno.

“AH!” I exclaim, nearly dropping my phone.

“Are you okay in there, ma’am?” A worker asks from the other side of the door. I can feel my cheeks heat up from embarrassment.

“I-it’s nothing! Just a, uh, a spider! But it’s okay! Ehe…” I silently cringe at myself as I hear the worker’s footsteps walking away. I just know Hanni would be laughing her butt off at me getting this excited over a text from Yuno.

With a trembling hand, I open up his text, which simply reads “Good morning.” It’s a short and simple message, yet I bite my lip, actively stifling a delighted squeal. An overwhelming sense of giddiness washes over me from those two words on the screen, my mind racing as  I try to think of a response.

Should I ask him how he slept? Maybe that’s a bit too intimate… Oh, what if he had a weird dream? That’s an interesting topic of conversation, right? No, that might be too weird… Maybe I should ask the girls for help. But they might just laugh at me. Oh god, what do I do?

Right as my thumb hovers over the keyboard to type up a response, I freeze. This isn’t what I’m supposed to be doing. Yuno and I are just friends, and that’s all we can ever be. I’m just far too busy for any kind of serious relationship, and my parents clearly don’t approve of him either. Even so, a small voice in the back of my head tells me to go for it, that it’ll work out if I try hard enough. Anything can be achieved through hard work, right? That’s what my parents always told me. A heavy sigh escapes my lips as my heart and mind devolve into war with no clear victor. I don’t even know for sure if he feels the same, yet here I am, getting all excited over his words on a screen.

A knock at the door snaps me out of my rambling thoughts. “Honey, are you okay in there? You’ve been in there a long time, I only gave you one dress to try,” I hear my mom ask.

“S-sorry!” I quickly toss my phone back into my purse and grab the dress off the hanger. Maybe I just need some time to think about it.

______________________________________________________________

“Thank you for shopping with us, Ms. Kim! Have a wonderful day!” The worker exclaims as we leave the store with a plethora of shopping bags and a long receipt to match. My mother takes a single bag, leaving me to carry the rest. My family definitely has the means to live a “comfortable” life, but even exorbitant purchases like these are uncharacteristic of them.

“Why... huff... do I... grunt… need all these clothes?” I ask, struggling to carry everything. “Isn't this... huff… a bit much just to update my closet?"

“Think of it as a gift from your mother, dear,” she replies, not looking in my direction. “I barely get to see you because your father and I are always working. Don’t you want to spend time with your mother?”

“I guess so…” But not like this, I think to myself. As we descend the escalator to the lower levels, the frequency of people increases, making it nearly impossible to take two steps without accidentally hitting someone with the bags. My cheeks burn with embarrassment as I offer an apologetic look to everyone who passes by.

Amidst the chaos, I trip over my foot, inadvertently sending shopping bags and expensive dresses flying everywhere. My mother continues on without even so much as a glance backward, leaving me to pick up the remnants of her wealth as passersby give me weird looks or downright ignore me. As if things couldn’t get any worse, a man snatches my purse off the ground and dashes toward the mall exit.

“H-hey! Give that back!” Of course, my words fall on deaf ears as the thief gets farther and farther. No one moves to stop him, too scared or confused to intervene. My phone, my wallet, the little knick knacks my friends have given me over the years, all of it is gone…

Out of nowhere, a person tackles the thief to the ground, wrestling my purse from his hands. The scuffle ends with the heroic stranger standing over the thief’s now unconscious body, a crowd surrounding and applauding his efforts. An overwhelming sense of gratitude fills me, and without thinking, I run over to my savior and capture him in a big hug,

“Oh my god, thank you so much for getting my purse back, I don’t know how I can-” Panic replaces gratitude as I look up at him for the first time. 

“Y-Yuno?!”

______________________________________________________________

Yuno’s POV

I glare at the black screen of my phone, taunting me by reflecting my own ridiculous emotions. My body is restless, itching for any sign of life, a vibration, a notification, just anything to quench my frustrations. And then it happens: the screen lights up with life. Frantic, I grab the phone, bringing it up to my eyes to read the notification.

Yujin: Heeeeeeeyyyyyyyyyy guyyyyyysssssss. I made kimbap for my grandma, what do yall think?

A photo of Yujin is attached to the text, depicting a clumsily put-together plate of what I assume to be kimbap. Out of the billion notifications I’ve received in the past hour, all of them have been from Yujin, and zero have been from Minji. My head drops in disappointment. Despite my own warnings, I can’t stop thinking about her. She plagues my mind with her pretty eyes and cute face and gentle voice and-

“You alright, Yuno?” My dad sits across from me at the table, his brow furrowed in concern mid-chew. “You haven’t touched your burger at all.”

I shake my head, gathering my bearings. ’50s rock music blasts from the speakers above, fitting the atmosphere of the 50s-themed diner we are in. With no plan in mind, my dad suggested that we get some lunch first, although his words fell on deaf ears since I was too preoccupied staring at my phone.

“It’s nothing,” I utter, avoiding his eyes. He sighs heavily, his expression darkening.

“Look, I… I understand if you don’t trust me completely, a-and I will work harder to earn your trust, but I don’t want you to suffer in silence,” he explains. “If something is going on, I want you to know that you can come to me for anything, no matter how big or small. I don’t have the answers to everything, but I’m here to listen if you need me.”

My lips part to speak, yet no words come out, hiding away in my throat, too scared to show themselves. I choke them down, guilt arising within me due to my silence. What am I supposed to say? “Hey Dad, you are right, I feel weird seeing you like this after so long and so suddenly, but also my life in general has just become so weird. In less than a week, I slept over at the student council’s president house, got two friends, beat two people in a fight, went to the fair for the first time, and I also really like the student council president. Maybe even love her, I don’t know.” This whole thing is ridiculous. I am ridiculous.

“I’m fine, really,” I assure him, and myself partially.

He looks at me, unconvinced, but doesn’t pry any further. “Alright, just… I want you to know.”

God, this sucks. I can’t even eat a meal with my own dad in peace because of my inability to function like a regular human being. Part of me wishes I could just pretend like everything is alright, but since when have I ever felt alright?

“What about you?” The words eject from my mouth without thought. Call it curiosity or not wanting to eat in awkward silence for the second time today, either way, the question is out there now.

“What about me?” My dad asks, rightfully confused.

“I mean…” Fuck, why is it so hard to talk? “You… You’re up and alive, I guess. What changed?”

He places his burger down and looks up with a thoughtful expression. “I, uh, went out for another drink one night and ran into an old friend from college. We just talked for a while, maybe even all night, just catching up like no time had passed. Y’know, he introduced me and your mom way back when. Seeing him reminded me of my old college days, living like I was on top of the world, and… I just knew something had to change.”

“That’s… great. Really.” And I mean it. A smile grows on his face at my sincerity.

“Yeah, it really is. He basically saved my life. I hope you’re able to find good friends like that, Yuno.”

My phone buzzes with a new message from the group chat.

Winter: that looks really great yujin :D

Yujin: hehe thanks !!!

A small grin grows on my face. Maybe I already have. If only I could get a text from one other friend…

______________________________________________________________

We walk into a clothing store full of people my age dressed much more stylishly than I am. I didn’t particularly need to update my closet, but the potential guilt of declining my dad’s offer to buy me clothes was too overwhelming. Besides, what else are you supposed to do at a mall other than spend exorbitant amounts of money on material things?

“Go look around. Let me buy you something nice for once,” he quips. His mood seems to have significantly brightened after our talk at the diner.

Looking through all the racks made me realize just how out of my element I am. Outside of my school uniform, most of my clothes are just sweats and hoodies - comfortable and don’t draw too much attention. Everything (and practically everyone) in here is basically a giant billboard that says “Hey, look at me!!!”

Then, something catches my eye: a forest green crewneck sweater with a bear wearing overalls screen printed on the front. I try to move on, but the beady lifeless eyes of the bear stare into my soul, demanding that I take it home. It’s ridiculous, It’s childish, it’s…

“I want it,” I blurt out.

“Really? This?” Dad chuckles, examining the sweater. “Didn’t think you would be interested in this kind of thing, but hey, what do I know about fashion?”

I cough awkwardly, my face growing warm. I didn’t know anything about fashion either. Hell, if I didn’t have the reputation I have, I would probably be a prime target for bullies if I wore that around. Out of everything in the store, why did I want that sweater? Who in their right mind would even like this sweater?

Minji. Minji would. Half of her bed is covered in teddy bears. I want that sweater because, for some stupid reason, I think it’ll magically make her like me. Or something. I don’t know. She hasn’t even texted me back yet, what good is a sweater with a bear on it gonna do?

Before I could protest, my dad hands me the sweater in a plastic bag, already paid for. “You wanna stop by a couple more stores?” he asks.

“Sure,” I concede, still feeling embarrassed. A part of me feels oddly glad that I took it, imagining Minji’s reaction to seeing the sweater. “Wow Yuno, your sweater is so cute, we should go out sometime!” Yeah right. Still, I can’t stop the small grin dancing on my lips.

“H-hey! Give that back!”

A familiar voice rings from the center of the mall. I glance upwards to see a man barging through the crowd, clutching onto a purse that definitely isn’t his. Without thinking, I spring into action, dashing towards him as fast as I can.

“Yuno!” My dad calls out from behind me, but his words are left unheard as I continue my pursuit. Right before the man reaches the exit, I jump onto a bench and dive at him, tackling him to the ground.

“What the fuck man, get off of me!” The thief yells. He lands a punch to the side of my head as I try to wrestle the purse from him. While it isn’t the hardest blow I’ve received, it’s enough to piss me off. I grab his throat, digging my fingers into his windpipe, nearly crushing it in my grip. He squirms underneath, the desperation welling in his eyes as he fights for breath. I reel back my fist and let it fly, aiming to crack his skull against the ground.

As my fist gets closer and closer to his head, time crawls to a standstill. Minji’s voice echoes in my head: “You’re a good person, Yuno. I just wish you would stop getting into trouble.” I mean, he deserves it, he’s a thief. He steals some poor girl’s purse, he deserves a good beating. And yet, I pull back at the last moment, knocking him out instead of outright shattering his jaw. While none of his bones are broken, he’ll surely be feeling that once he comes to.

The sound of scattered applause around me pulls me from my adrenaline-fueled haze. It’s only now that I realize people are recording me like a zoo animal, upholding me like I’m some kind of “hero” or something. In reality, I just did what they were too scared to do, but they’re too busy creating their own hyperbolic narratives to see that.

Suddenly, a pair of arms wrap around me in a familiar and oddly comforting anaconda grip.

“Oh my god, thank you so much for getting my purse back, I don’t know how I can- Y-Yuno?”

That voice. Is it?

“M-Minji?”

I turn to look at the source of the voice, inadvertently meeting her eyes, mere inches away. Thick-rimmed glasses adorn her face, like the ones stereotypical nerds wear. Technically, she is a nerd, but a really cute one. She still has me in her grip, but if I’m being honest, I never want to leave it. It’s like the warmth of a weighted blanket, but… cuter. God, I think I’m going insane.

Fortunately (or rather unfortunately), Minji lets go, finally giving me room to breathe. This weird, fluttering feeling in my stomach remains (Is this what people mean by butterflies?).

“S-sorry about that, uh… Th-thanks, Yuno…” She mutters, her gaze never leaving the ground.

“Y-yeah, no problem…”

“Yuno!” My dad calls out to me, running in our direction. “Jesus, you're fast… huff… Are you alright?” He glances over at the thief’s unconscious body as two mall cops drag him away. “You certainly did a number on him, huh? Impressive.” He pats my shoulder, giving me a proud smile.

The clop of expensive high heels draws our attention, growing louder and louder with each step.

“Minji! Are you okay, dear?”

Minji’s mom appears, checking her for injuries.

“I-I’m okay, mother. Um, you remember Yuno, right?” She awkwardly gestures towards me, leading her mom’s gaze. With her cold gaze studying my expression, It’s like I have a sniper dot placed firmly onto my forehead, ready to blow my brains out if I so much as cough in her direction.

“Ah yes, I remember. Thank you for getting Minji’s purse back, although I could’ve easily purchased another one for her.” Her lips curl into a smile, but I can clearly see the disdain evident in her eyes. It’s almost like she knows I can see it and is doing it on purpose.

“And you must be his father, I presume.”

“Yup, that’s me, I’m his dad alright,” he says with a friendly chuckle. “Ian Lin, it’s nice to meet you.” My dad extends a hand towards her, which she accepts with clear reluctance in her movements, although he doesn’t notice this.

“Well, I would love to chat, but we must get going. Minji dear, go and pick up the bags, we’re heading to the tailor to get your new dresses fitted,” she says to Minji before waltzing off without another word, leaving her daughter to pick up a mountain of shopping bags. Looking at her, it’s hard to believe that someone as unconditionally kind as Minji was born from that unassuming she-devil. Maybe Minji is adopted or something.

“I-I should get going,” Minji says, panting with exhaustion. “B-bye, Yuno.”

“Wait.” I reach out and grab some of the bags from her. “Let me help you.”

“Oh, you don’t have t-”

“I want to.” 

The words come out before I have time to think about them. Minji blushes as she hands a few of the bags over to me. Meanwhile, my dad whips over to the other side of her and offers his assistance.

“May I?” He asks, reaching his arm out towards the rest of the bags. Minji concedes with a sigh, shooting him a grateful smile.

“Thank you, I was, uh, really struggling before,” she admits.

The three of us follow loosely behind Minji’s mother. No wonder she didn’t text me, I don’t think I would have the luxury of breathing when I’m around a terrifying woman like that. Still, it does put me at ease a bit knowing Minji wasn’t exactly ignoring my text. Seeing her in person is way better than a couple of words on a screen.

“Minji, right?” My dad asks her, making small talk. “Are you and Yuno friends?”

“Yes, Mr. Lin, we are friends.”

Friends. The title feels bittersweet at best, but hearing her admit that without any hesitation in her voice makes my lips curl into a smile, which I hide with a fake cough.

“That’s great, I don’t get to meet a lot of Yuno’s friends. By the way, just call me Ian, Mr. Lin makes me feel older than I already am,” he quips, earning a chuckle from Minji. “I have to ask, what’s Yuno like at school?”

“Yuno is…” She turns to look at me, but my gaze is glued to the ground, too nervous to meet her eyes. “...a bit of a troublemaker…” Damn. “...but he’s a good guy.” Hell yeah.

“That’s good to hear. Y’know, he gets his personality from his mother.” His grin fades for a second before going back to normal. “And he gets his good looks from me.”

The two of them laugh while I silently cringe to myself, a dull throbbing hitting my temples. Never in a million years did I imagine the two of them ever meeting, let alone holding a conversation like this. It’s kinda nice in an off-putting way. Better than letting Minji meet him as a grieving alcoholic.

“Hurry up dear,” Minji’s mom calls out to her, walking into the tailor shop.

“Welp, this is my stop. Thank you for the help, but I can take it from here,” Minji says. She takes the bags from us, lightly gracing my hand, sending a jolt of electricity through my body. “Bye Yuno and it was nice meeting you, Mr. Li- er, Ian.”

A disappointed sigh leaves my lips as I watch her disappear into the shop. She was right there, close enough for me to catch a whiff of her lavender-scented perfume. I’ve been waiting all day for a text from her, yet my stupid feelings made me too nervous to speak.

“You like her, don’t you?”

My head snaps towards my dad, a sly smirk dancing on his lips. My eyes grow wide in shock, “W-what, n-no… I-I just, uh… W-whatever…”

“I know that look anywhere, Yuno. It’s the same one I gave your mother before we started going out,” he explains. My face sinks into my hands, the overwhelming urge to disappear consuming me.

______________________________________________________________

Minji’s POV

My family has frequented this specific tailor shop at the mall for numerous occasions over the years, we even went here to get my school uniform properly fitted before the school year started. The shop has one sole worker, a kind yet quiet old man. He’s skilled at his job, but my only issue with him is that he continuously pokes me with sewing pins while taking my measurements. 

“Mother, why do I- Ow! Why do I need so many new dresses for my wardrobe- Ow! None of these clothes are things I would wear casually.”

She sighs. “I suppose we’ll have to tell you eventually.”

“Tell me what?” I ask, my brow furrowing.

“We’re doing a business collaboration with the Park family and we thought it would be a good idea to hold a banquet this Tuesday to mark the beginning of our partnership. We haven’t seen them in a while, so we figured it would be a good idea to catch up.”

The Park family? “Okay, but if it’s for the business, then why do I have to go?”

“Their son, Sunghoon, will be in attendance, so we expect you to do the same.”

Sunghoon. Just the name alone sends a shiver down my spine. I thought I finally got rid of him after he moved away in middle school, but no. He’s finally come back to haunt me.

“U-uh, I have school that day a-and I have a test coming up that I need to study for and-”

“Your father and I think that the opportunity to network and make connections with influential people in the industry will be more beneficial to you than a high school test that you can make up anyway. Besides, don’t you want to see your old friend Sunghoon again? I remember how hard you cried after he moved away.”

No, Mother, those were tears of JOY. My parents have been close friends with the Parks since they attended the same college together, so naturally (and incorrectly), they assumed that their kids would be close as well. Sunghoon got along well with my brother, but he was an absolute menace towards me. He would call me names, steal my things, and talk bad about me to his annoying group of friends. No matter how much I cried to my parents about him, they always gave me the outdated, misogynistic line of “boys will be boys.” When his family finally moved away during middle school, I couldn’t have been more thrilled, literally crying tears of joy knowing that I would never have to see him ever again. But of course, fate is a cruel mistress, making everything go right for a couple of years before stabbing me in the back with a Sunghoon-shaped knife.

“But mother, I-”

“We’re just asking you to attend the banquet for a couple of hours and mingle. Why do you have to make things difficult?”

A dejected sigh leaves my lips. There’s no getting through to her at this rate. At least I have a day to mentally prepare myself before the banquet. Right now, I plan to say hi to him to keep up appearances and then avoid him like the plague for the rest of the event. Piece of cake, right?

My gaze falls to my purse, sitting on a bench a few feet away. A thought plants itself into my head like a seedling, growing and growing into a full-blown idea. Maybe there’s a way that I can make this banquet a little more bearable.

______________________________________________________________

The second we make it into the house, I kick my shoes off by the front door and dash upstairs towards my room, ignoring the calls from my mother to put them away properly. By the time we finished up at the tailor, my phone had somehow died in my purse, making me antsy the whole drive home.

I burst through my room, practically leaping towards the charger.

“Come on, hurry up,” I plead, praying that it will somehow make the phone turn on faster. Thankfully, it only takes a few seconds to light up with life. I quickly scroll through my messages, typing up a quick text to the person who will be most vital to plan.

Yuno: Good Morning.

Minji: heyyy! can i call u? i have something important to ask

______________________________________________________________

Yuno’s POV

I stop dead in my tracks, almost dropping the bag of groceries in my hands as I scan my phone screen over and over again. Does she really want to talk… to me?! On the phone? What could she want to ask me? Is she gonna-

“Hello? Earth to Yuno.” My dad waves his hand in front of my face, pulling me from my trance. “I can’t have you stand in the middle of the kitchen while I cook dinner,” he chuckles.

“A-ah, right. Sorry.” I move to put the groceries away, but he stops me.

“I can put the rest of the groceries away. It’s clear you would rather be doing something else right now.” He gives me a knowing smile as I briskly make my way towards the stairs, grabbing the bag with my new sweater in it. Right before I head up, I turn to my dad one last time.

“Um, thanks for taking me to the mall. It was… nice.” 

He chuckles to himself before waving me off. I go to my room and shut the door behind me, typing a quick reply to Minji.

Minji: hey! can i call u? i have something important to ask

Yuno: Sure.

An overwhelming wave of suspense hits me, filling my mind with an endless mountain of questions. My phone buzzes to life with Minji’s name and I quickly swipe to answer her call.

“Hello!”

Her voice rings clearly through the speakers like the soothing sound of a gentle breeze. I’m somewhat glad she didn’t ask to talk in person, otherwise, she would see the obvious blush on my face.

“H-hi. Um, what did you want to ask me?”

“Oh right! It’s kinda weird, but… Are you doing anything on Tuesday night?”

My heart thumps loudly in my chest. Is she asking me on a…?

“N-no, why?” I can’t stop my voice from quivering with nervous excitement.

“Well…” She sighs. “It’s a bit of a long story, but basically, my parents are holding a banquet for the family business on Tuesday and if you’re not busy, I was wondering if you wanted to go… with me.”

“A-as your date?” The words come out before I can even think to stop myself from saying them. You fucking idiot, why would you say that!? Minji is gonna think you’re weird now! “S-sorry, I didn’t mean-”

“T-technically speaking, you would be my… date.” 

A loooooooooong awkward pause ensues. My heart is beating so loud, I’m worried she’ll be able to hear it through the phone. TV static and white noise run through my mind as I stand in the middle of my room, frozen in disbelief.

“Um, hello? Yuno?”

“Y-yeah, I’m here, s-sorry,” I manage to croak out. “Why do you want me to go? Wouldn’t it be better if you invited your other friends instead?”

“There’s this guy that’s gonna be there and I would really like to avoid him, so I figured I could bring you instead of the girls and maybe he’ll… y’know.”

My heart sinks a little. “You want me to be there to scare him off?”

“...Well, when you say it like that, it sounds mean.” Her tone turns apologetic. “I’m sorry, Yuno, you don’t have to come if you don’t want to-”

“I’ll go.” Maybe I’m just a hopeless love-stricken fool who’s willing to toss away any ounce of self-respect I have left for a girl he likes, but it’s not like I’m doing anything interesting on a Tuesday night anyways. Plus, banquets usually have free food, and if Ms. Kim’s cooking is any sign of things to come, it’ll probably be really good.

“I’m sorry if it seems like I’m using you, I just really need a friend to help get me through the banquet. Y’know, it feels like I have to keep reminding you that we’re friends, Yuno,” she says.

I collapse onto my bed, staring up at the ceiling fan as it spins in place. “Sorry, I’m still getting used to having friends.”

“It’s okay, I’m probably not doing a great job at being a good friend. It feels like you’re always helping me with something and I haven’t paid you back at all.”

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“First, you saved me from that drunk guy in front of the convenience store, and then the spider in the Ferris wheel, and now today with the purse thief, and now I’m asking you to go to a banquet with me because I don’t want to see some guy. You’re always doing things for me and I haven’t done the same for you.”

“That’s not true,” I refute. “What about the time I walked you home and it started raining, so you let me sleep on your couch so I wouldn’t get sick from the rain?”

“See, I only did that because you offered to walk me home. You’ve done a thousand things for me, and I’ve only done one thing for you. I think I’m a pretty bad friend-”

“That doesn’t make you a bad friend at all!” I yell out without realizing it. Minji goes quiet, the only thing I can hear is my anxious heartbeat and her quiet breathing. “S-sorry, I-I didn’t mean to yell…” Fuck, I made it awkward. “I, uh… You’re not a bad friend, is what I’m trying to say. U-um, you’re very kind and understanding, even to someone like me. I know I don’t have a lot of friends, but I know for sure that you’re a good one. You help me out more than you realize.”

There’s a long pause before Minji speaks again. “...Okay, first of all, I don’t like being yelled at, but I will accept your apology since you had good intentions.” I let out a sigh of relief, but the ache in my chest still lingers. Her tone is much more serious than it was a second ago. “Second of all, what do you mean “people like you?””

“Y’know…” I think carefully before I speak, treading through eggshells while I search for the right words. “You said it yourself when we were at the mall, I’m a troublemaker.”

Minji sighs. “Okay, that’s my bad, but I also said that you’re a good guy. You can convince yourself that you’re a bad person all you want, but that doesn’t mean you deserve to be lonely. I want you to be surrounded by people who love and care about you, Yuno.”

God, she’s so perfect. What did I do in my past life to meet an angel like her? “Th-thanks, Minji.”

“Of course. What are friends for?”

Friends. A word that felt so foreign and unattainable until recently. It still feels weird to digest, but a good kind of weird. The kind of weird that makes me feel excited for what’s to come, even though I have no clue what to expect. It’s like exploring an unexplored part of the world, no map, no research, simply traveling on pure curiosity alone. You might discover something frightening, yet you continue to dig because of the possibility that there’s something beautiful once you get to the other side.

Maybe “friendship” is as far as Minji and I are meant to go. Yet I continue to dig and dig through all these new, exciting, and terrifying experiences, because despite my whole internal monologue this morning about how we’re so different, about how she’s a shooting star and I’m a lowly cockroach, I desperately want to see what happens when I get to the other side. I am irrevocably, completely, and (most importantly) foolishly in love with Minji Kim.

[tteokdoroki]

☆༉ — KATSUKI BAKUGOU. biceps.

about. idk the idea of riding pro hero!bakugou’s bicep could heal me? minors blank and ageless blogs dni, nsfw, smut, afab!reader, pro hero!bakugou.

just the idea of him lifting you up with his brute strength, looking up at you with those dark, blood red eyes like he’s begging you to do it — he knows that you want to. “use me sweetness, wanna see you make yourself feel good.” flexing the muscle between your thighs, his bicep bulging against the puffy nub nestled between your slick folds.

of course it makes you shy at first, you’re literally riding his arm — but you can’t help the way the thick muscle makes your stomach twist in knots. bakugou’s hot palm splayed against the small dip in your back doesn’t do much to help either, guiding your movements as you straddle the rest of his arm, your clear juices glossing over the pretty blue veins that twist around his limb.

“look at you, all fuckin’ riled up from riding my fuckin’ arm,” he’d laugh at how you shudder on top of him, your face hot but your head tipped back pleasure every time his muscle ripples against your soaked and ravaged pussy. “such a freak. she’s ruined down ‘ere.”

maybe he’ll let you buck your hips down on him, listen to that sticky clit slap against your name tatted in a loop around the firmest part of his arm while bakugou’s other hand grabs and squeezes at your hips, your ass, your thighs — his tongue spilling silver lined praises that shoot straight up your spine and ghost over your brain to dumb you down.

eventually those very hands will take purchase on your hips and lift you off his arm despite how you whinge in protest — groaning in awe at the clear, strong strings of your slick that connect your cunt to katsuki’s muscles — smeared along thick black inked tattoos and sun kissed skin.

“katsuki…please.”

“messy, messy.” he purrs proudly with a lick of his pretty pink lips, grinning as your pussy quiver above him. the dull edge of his fingertips prods af your sticky folds, glued together by your wetness — earning a shudder from you. “good enough to fuckin’ eat.”

by some grace of god, you find your voice — tiny and embarrassed. “t-then do it, what are you waiting for?”

“you sure you wanna be teasin’ me?” bakugou spanks your ass firmly before pulling apart the fleshy globes of your cheeks to watch you drip from between them, your juices splattering down onto his washboard abs and salty skin. “come sit on it for me, let me make you cum f’me, baby.” he rasps, goading you into straddling his face as he nastily inhales the raw and delicious scent of your sex.

“ride my face, make a mess all on me. just like ya do with the rest of me.”

꒰ end. — all rights reserved © tteokdoroki 2023. do not copy, repost, translate & recommend elsewhere.

[everythingmp3]

⎯ ୨ 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩୧ ⎯

𝐓𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐨𝐬 𝐱 𝐟𝐞𝐦!𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

after your fathers death, you need to push through the grief very quickly to continue his work as one of the most prominent smugglers around. still, the pain of your situation makes you fall further into unhealthy habits and despair, which nobody notices, nobody except for one of your fathers old friends: Tess. she senses that something is off with you and suddenly becomes a surprisingly strong presence in your life. eventually, your feelings for her push you towards letting your guard down.

warnings: minors dni. mentions of drug use and addiction, grief/death of a loved one, smut (reader receiving)

disclaimer: this one is long. Anna Torv got me good, I couldn’t stop thinking about her in the show. I never played the game, so accuracy was not the goal here, I just wanted to write something for the Tess we see in the show! I put a lot of thought and heart into this, so I really hope I can make some Tess girlies out there happy <3 or anyone else who is in the mood for a longer fic!

wordcount: 13k

It would have been absurd to call anyone during or after the outbreak “lucky”, considering the state of the world, but you knew in your heart that your fate had definitely been of the luckier kind. 

up until the outbreak, you and your father had been living as a duo for as long as you could remember. he had raised you as a single father in a small town where he´d worked as a professor, and your life had mostly been a content and peaceful one. 

you´d been old enough during the day of the outbreak to understand what was happening, but not old enough to remember much of it as an adult, the memories were all hazy, one big blur of panic. all you knew was that you two had left in your car in the middle of the night, never looking back once you were on the road, until you somehow got to be two of the first people inhabiting the Boston QZ. 

the first few years were anything but easy. the “schools” you went to were a joke, the structures in place were authoritative and soul crushing, everyone was traumatized and trying to cope one way or another. it was bleak, a sinister chaos, but at night when you sat around the table together, you couldn´t help but feel a sliver of gratitude, you´d both stayed alive, which was nothing short of a miracle.

for about a year post-outbreak, your father just worked whatever jobs were assigned to him, like everyone else. it was routine work, boring, dull, but it kept you two afloat. still, he got restless, a man who´d been used to hours and hours of mental stimulation and human connection, he couldn´t stay in the shadows by himself like that forever, he was itching for more. 

he had an air that granted him respect, so one day he received a proposal: his first contact to the smuggling business. at first, he was hesitant, but it was too tempting in the end, so he accepted, and it worked, better than he expected. it wasn´t exactly a natural progression, his former job in academia to that one, he saw the irony, but both jobs required people skills and he always told you: 90 percent of that kind of work is mental.

everyone was so lost during those early days, that a competent man like him, a mentor, attracted others, especially younger smugglers, like moths to a flame. his responsibilities quickly became more and more serious, people kept pushing him and a few others around his age to do the important organizing, the work that required more brain, not just intimidation and brute force, so about a year into that lifestyle, he slowly but surely became one of the top dogs in the smuggling business.

he kept his private life and business separate, always. he made sure you were safe at home while he was out, but the one thing he did right from the start, was that he told you everything about what he was doing. he knew it would not help you to stay naive and innocent, not in a world like that. he also knew you were smart and bored out of your mind, so what he did, each night, was that he told you every little detail about everyone he came into contact with, every trick he'd learned, every piece of valuable information. 

he trusted you, and he knew he wouldn´t be around to protect you forever, he wanted you to have valuable insight in your hands once you´d have to fend for yourself. so by the time you were 15, you knew pretty much everyone he worked with by name, their secrets, their ways of working, all of it. what he did not know, was that you also had a good amount of secrets of your own: what you did in your spare time, how you managed all those hours on your own.

as a teenager you´d started seeing various bottles of pills he was holding onto for deals laying around the apartment, and you were slick enough to take a few each time without him noticing. you were dealing with something, call it depression, PTSD, anxiety, or a mix of all three, but regardless of terminology: you were going through it and refused to burden him with it. it was far from ideal but taking sedatives helped, mostly Ambien but you weren´t too picky, they just had to be strong. you kept it in check, nobody noticed, not once. 

then, when you were in your early twenties, he fell ill. it was gradual but the hard life had worn him down, his heart was giving out, and all you could do, was to try to spend the rest of his days by his side, which you did. people were devastated, everyone knew him or of him, so some of them even came by your apartment to say their goodbyes, including one of his closest allies: Tess. 

you knew about all of his business partners, and Tess had been one that he really valued, spoke of very highly, always. you´d seen her around a few times and he´d told you a few stories about her, but she was a woman who kept to herself, so he was discreet, never spilling anything about her personal life.

still, she always stuck out to you among the others. even though you´d never even spoken to her, something about her seemed different to you, you could see why he´d worked with her for over a decade by that point, there was a magnetism to her that got to you. sometimes, you caught glimpses of her from afar, and wondered what it was about her, that always made you think of her for the rest of the day.

the day she came to say her goodbyes to him, you couldn´t help it: you stayed just outside of the room to listen. others had cried, been very sentimental, but she just sat there in silence for a good while with him. you swore you could hear her sniffle, but once she stepped out of the room, after you'd quickly hurried down the hall to not be caught, she looked as strong and composed as ever, giving you a small nod as she walked by, nothing more, but in her expression, you could tell she was signaling something to you, that she felt for you. something in her gaze went straight to your heart. 

as his death approached, you knew you had a choice to make. either, you could take over his business, or you could watch some random person attempt to fill the spot he´d leave vacant. early on, you knew, you´d have to take over. there was no way you´d let some psychotic power hungry tyrant swoop in and pick up all the work he´d leave up for grabs.

it was not a dream of yours to become his successor in that world, but dreams were a luxury few could afford those days, and you knew your fate could have been much worse. the decision meant that you´d have to deal with the impending grief in a way that wouldn´t leave you weak and bedbound, so you made a deal with yourself: one day. once he´d die, you´d give yourself one day to fall apart, to fall as deeply into despair as possible. and then, you´d have to get to work and forget all about it. 

even though a few of them had told him that they´d look out for you, you knew smugglers well enough to not trust their patience, their promises. if you´d stay inside grief stricken for weeks, they´d lose respect, they´d forget about you, someone else would catch their attention. besides, you had no interest in pity, in being handled like some precious little thing at risk of falling apart on her own. so, things played out exactly how you planned.

the day he died, you were inconsolable. it was darkness beyond imagination, loneliness unlike you´d ever felt it, your one guardian, one confidant: gone. the tears left your face swollen red, your body exhausted, so at night, you knocked yourself out really well with an extra high dose, knowing you´d have to step out the next day looking normal, respectable, hard to intimidate. 

at first, there were some nerves, but the second you started talking to people, discussing plans, handling deals, you realized you could almost do all of it on auto-pilot because you´d spent years and years absorbing all of his ideas, his language and mannerisms. you were basically inhabiting his ghost as you started making it known that you were taking over, for good, and nobody seemed to question it, even though you were barely above twenty. something about you gave them the vibe of do not mess with her. 

you were convincing in your new position and it helped that they were glad to cling to you, as a biological extension of his legacy. it worked, people respected you, you made sure his previous connections were properly taken over.

still, you felt absolutely horrible. deep down you were eaten up by grief, you were lonely, exhausted, but you simply couldn´t let it show, ever. your habit with the pills became much worse immediately. you used a pretty high dosage to sleep through entire evenings and nights, then you somehow got up and went out to do what you had to do, and repeated that cycle every day, not leaving yourself even one moment of just sitting around and thinking, because you knew once you´d let yourself do that: you´d break. 

what you didn´t know, was that Tess had told people to report to her how you were doing. 

she knew about you, she knew his death would leave you to your own devices, and at first she was convinced you´d be uninterested in taking over, but once she heard that you were doing it, she was alerted. she thought you´d fall flat on your face. a grieving daughter taking all that on? no way. but soon after, she heard back from people that you were working as if nothing had happened, and it puzzled her, that you were shouldering all of it seemingly without trouble. something in her told her: go have a look at that girl, something seems off there. 

Tess remembered your kind face the day she´d seen your father for the last time, the look of something so fragile, so soft in there, it just did not mix with the things she was hearing about you the weeks after his passing. 

so, about three weeks after he died, she made her way to your apartment, knocking around 8 pm. the second you opened the door, you knew of course who the intimidating looking woman in front of you was, but you just looked at her until she said “hey, could I come in for a second?”, her voice low and admittedly kind of alluring, you nodded, waving her in. 

she was the first person who´d had the guts to just come over unannounced, nobody had bothered to come and check on you, which you were mostly glad about, but you couldn´t deny the fact that it felt nice to have someone there for once. 

she walked into the nearest room, the kitchen, with a confidence as if the apartment was hers. you followed, watching her sit down a chair that she pulled away from the dining table, while you stood across the room, leaning against the wall. she cleared her throat, looking at you, her piercing eyes almost making you nervous then. 

“okay listen. your father might have told you this, but just in case he didn´t: i don´t do bullshit. i don´t like to waste time, not mine, not other people´s, so i´m gonna get straight to the point here, okay?” you stared at her, the way she was resting her hands on her knees, leaning forward to emphasize what she was saying, her eyes unyielding. 

you couldn´t help but feel a sense of admiration, her strength practically radiating off of her, you nodded, “sure go ahead”. 

Tess looked at you with something disbelief, “what the fuck is going on?” she asked, quiet, stern. you were not unaffected by the tone, but you were unsure what precisely she was referring to, “what do you mean?”. she shook her head, “save the coy act with me. you know what I mean. the person you have lived with your whole life dies and then two fucking days later you´re out there taking over his business like nothing ever happened? come on. tell me what´s going on here”. you felt caught for a second but then you realized she was only suspecting, she had nothing in her hands to prove that anything was wrong with you, so you did what you did best: deny it.

“I mean… I see how that could seem a bit strange but what good would it do to just weep and mope around all day? I can´t change what happened. I don´t need to cry all day, I can work, I can function, it´s fine.” you almost believed yourself, you were a good liar, but not good enough to fool Tess, hardly anyone could lie to her without being caught. she could tell that beneath the convincing way of putting it that way, you weren´t telling the truth. it was hard to pinpoint how exactly she could tell, because your voice was no giveaway, neither was your demeanor, but something told her immediately that you were a person who knew how to hide things well, partially because she had the same talent herself. 

“that sounds great on paper, really, but the way your father described you, it just doesn´t make sense, sorry, I don´t buy it.”

you were a little defensive then. “oh yeah, what did he say?” she grinned for a moment, relieved you were at least in a state that allowed you to push back.

 “well, he liked to brag. he often told me how sweet you were, how you remained kind and thoughtful even during the end of the fucking world, with him doing shady business and no mother around to look after you. i recall the word “angel” being used a few times. I don´t see a girl like that being all unaffected and tough mere days after her dad´s death, not without finding some strange ways to cope. so I am concerned.”

you took in the words, almost emotional then, but keeping it together, struck by the word concern. nobody had clocked it, that you weren´t truly doing that great, but here Tess came, unwilling to just take the lie and leave you be. part of you felt relief at being seen for once, by her of all people, the one regularly described as “cold. hardass. not to go to with puppy eyes asking for forgiveness after fucking a job up”. there she was, inquiring about a stranger´s well being. still, you couldn´t get yourself to give her the answer she wanted.

“concerned? you hardly know me” you deflected, and she scoffed then, throwing her hands up, “yeah sure. you´re only the freshly orphaned daughter of a man I knew for about 15 years, why should i give a fuck, right?”. you couldn´t argue with that, realizing that she was also just trying her best to do the right thing. 

“sorry, I didn´t mean it like that. it´s just, i am doing everything right. why do i have to justify that?”. you were defensive because you knew, if you allowed yourself to open up to her, it would end with you in tears, and you weren´t up for it. still, it hurt, to be offered some solace and refuse it. 

she insisted, “yes but that´s exactly what strikes me as odd. now would be the moment to do it all wrong, to be weak, to mess up, yet here you are, walking those damn streets like you´re the new sheriff in town. and hey, i´ll give it to you, you´re doing a good job, but something is off, and i want to understand.”

“I am just doing what has to be done” you said, a defeated tone to it, which she didn´t love hearing. she was losing her patience, “listen to me. you should be taking a break right now. this is about the hardest thing to go through, you should not be pushing yourself the way you are, not right now, not like this”.

you were quiet, looking at her, your eyes not obviously soft but something was in there, she saw a glimpse of vulnerability, but then it escaped her again. you were stubborn, a few more moments of your wordlessness made her realize that you wouldn´t talk. Tess knew she was onto something but you wouldn´t let her in, so she leaned back and exhaled, looking up at the ceiling, her shirt lifting up a little, a glimpse of her skin, it burned in your vision for a split second.

“okay, you don´t wanna talk, that´s fine. but trust me, I know grief and I know denial. I´ve been around long enough to have seen it many times, what repression of all that shit can do to someone. so, I guess, this is my way of saying: be careful. and I might not be the one for big speeches or touchy feely shit, but I do care. so, keep that in mind if you ever need… well, help.” she got up then, straightening out her clothes, running her hands through her long slightly gray hair, looking a little worn out from the day, but still, extremely striking. she was a sight that stirred something deep inside of you, you couldn´t deny it, even while being confronted by her, you couldn´t stop feel a pull in her direction. 

she walked towards the door but stopped for a moment when she was close to where you were standing, looking at you for second, a hint of a smile:

“well, i´ll give it to him, he raised no fool, that´s for sure”, you cracked a small smile too then, not rewarding her with a lot of words though, “thanks, Tess. I´ll keep all that in mind”, that was the first time you ever used her name to address her and it hit a nerve in her, like a wave of electricity running through her at the sound, but she didn´t let it show, instead she briefly patted your shoulder, saying “take care”, and left.

the second she was out on the street again, Tess realized that it was a good idea for her to leave your apartment, because the idea of you being all on your own there, spending entire nights in that dark, empty place, did not leave her cold, at all, and she had no interest in growing too emotionally involved. there was something about you that she had not expected and it was messing with her, it was making her mind spin.

whenever your dad had talked about you, she had pictured someone more like a teenager, but you were anything but that. you were a grown woman, young but clearly marked by the tough life you´d lived, someone she couldn´t just crack with one stern look. you had an air of nonchalance that was hard won; she knew you´d paid a prize to keep up a facade like that. 

a pretty facade, she had to admit, you were undeniably beautiful. Tess was not one for crushes, but she knew an attractive woman when she saw one. you did not dress much differently than the other women she knew, but still, you were so different, your face had a distinct look that got to her: your eyes, your expression, the way you´d looked at her, it all stuck with her, that image of you, sitting there at the kitchen table, backlit by the setting sun: burned into her mind. 

she knew there was no way around it, she´d keep thinking of you, wondering what you were actually thinking, feeling, what you did during those hours at night all on your own, how you managed to work the way you did, what you were hiding, how you managed your grief, whether you cried or not, what you were afraid of, what you did to seem as unafraid as you did. 

most of her days were spent talking to people she didn´t care about one bit, often even actively resented, so sensing the potential of actually caring about a person, and even better, being challenged by their cleverness, it made it impossible for her not to wonder how she might find an excuse to talk to you again. Tess was not heartless, she might have been perceived that way, but she knew, deep down, that it was only a matter of time until she´d give up the i don´t give a fuck attitude for someone who needed her to. and something was telling her, you might be that person.

as she left your apartment, a voice inside her was telling her: 

keep an eye on that girl. she might need someone one of these days, and the others don´t see it.

it was also telling her:

don´t you dare fall for your dead friend´s daughter.

the weeks leading up to that night, you´d done your best to remain numb, nothing had really gotten to you, you´d kept yourself busy or knocked out, but then, one brief visit from Tess and you were shaken up, moved, affected. within ten minutes she´d managed to reach some part of you that you´d kept shut off. something about her presence was both comforting and thrilling. you´d had crushes before, but it was different with her, the word almost too mild and cute to describe the visceral nature of it. once she left your apartment you just sat in your kitchen for about half an hour, quiet, thinking, unable to process what you were feeling. 

that night you dreamed for the first time in ages. you couldn´t recall the details the next morning, but you knew it was about her, and your body was warm in your bed even though the apartment was freezing cold. 

you knew you couldn´t just go to her without a reason, you had too much pride to just admit to her that you wanted more of her company, so you tried to ignore it, but the following week you thought of Tess a lot, so much so that you found yourself perking up whenever anyone around you mentioned her. then, one day, someone came up to you as you were busy dealing with something and told you she´d asked for you, for you to come to her the next morning, something about a job she was involved in. 

you wondered why she would ask for you specifically, but regardless of her reasoning, you were just excited to be able to see her again without even having to initiate it. so, the next morning you made your way to the address you´d been given. you knew your way around, you knew that it was the bottom floor of this abandoned warehouse that people in your line of work often used to meet discretely. 

the second you stepped inside, you saw two women you recognized, two guys, and Tess, sitting around a make shift table out of boxes, various maps and papers spread out over it. Tess locked eyes with you immediately and got up, waving you over to step aside with her for a moment, knowing you´d probably have questions. 

she looked at you, a smile, “thanks for coming” you nodded, “sure no problem. so, what is this?” you asked, crossing your arms, she realized she owed you an explanation, “well. there´s something rather big we have to plan. and what I´ve been hearing from people tells me that you´re one of the brighter ones around”, a grin as she said this, “so, I thought why not ask you to join? couldn´t hurt to have your input”. you were listening, eyes on her face, and something told you that she wasn´t telling the whole truth. 

part of you felt like she might be testing you, wanting to see if everyone was just cutting you some slack and exaggerating your skillset, but you were up for it, “sure, I´ll do what I can”. “alright then” she pulled you by the arm, the brief touch making you feel more than you hoped it would, but even a small squeeze from her hand did something to you. you tried to forget about it as you sat down next to her.

they quickly filled you in. getting people across city limits was nothing new, but it was gonna be about 5 people, which was a lot. the plan needed to be perfect, you needed to make sure that it was all ideal; the time of day, the routes they would take, possible quick escape routes too if trouble came their way, calculating possible run ins with law enforcement, mapping out where they usually stood guard, every detail had to be considered. 

you let the others do most of the talking, only chiming in when you had a correction to make, a better suggestion, or needed to explain why certain things wouldn´t work. you observed most of the time, but the few remarks you made were precise and helpful, you could tell they were glad to have you around, even Tess, who was not easily impressed, nodded in approval multiple times when you said something. at times you could feel her looking at you from the side, even when you weren´t talking and you wondered why; was she concerned? curious? or, maybe, just maybe, did she also find you intriguing?

similarly you also found yourself staring at her kind of in awe whenever she talked, resting your face on your hand, just looking, her voice almost soothing you to a point of spacing out. you tried your best to listen to the words being said, but it wasn´t easy, with her sitting so close to you, her body somehow waking yours up after weeks up feeling dead. 

before you knew it, you´d spent almost the entire day just sitting there, talking, planning, at times stepping away to drink something or stretch your limbs. by the time it got dark, you were done. as the others stood around talking for a while, you already stepped out, catching some air, leaning against the wall of the house, clearing your head for a moment before going home. after a few minutes, you saw the others leaving, waving goodbye, Tess following shortly after, making her way over to you, taking up the empty space next to you. 

at first neither of you talked, both just staring ahead, tired from the day, but then she spoke up, “you were good today”, her voice lower and raspier than at the beginning of the day, getting under skin. you knew that counted as high praise from her, so you smiled, looking at her, “thanks. I guess I passed your test then, huh?” she stared at you, her eyes giving away that you´d caught her off guard with that, it amused you, so you went on “it´s fine, I get it, I wasn´t counting on any nepotism treatment”, she raised her eyebrows then, “smart AND funny, huh?” laced with obvious irony. you shook your head, looking back at the street, she smiled to herself, realizing more and more that she shouldn´t underestimate you, since you kept surprising her, but it was a challenge she was eager to accept: figuring you out. 

“well, I know for a fact he couldn´t have taught you all that. I know enough smart guys whose kids can barely count to five so… it´s definitely not just a family thing”, you appreciated that, she continued, staring up at the sky, leaning her head back against the wall, “to be honest it´s kind of eerie at times, you at your age, talking like that” she admitted, you turned to her then, facing her more directly, “yeah? how so?”, she shrugged, breathing out, “I don´t know. I guess you´re so young, but already so..” you completed the sentence “jaded?”, she laughed then, the sound of it getting to you, “no, no, that´s not what I mean. it´s just, you should be.. more carefree I guess. as much as I hate dealing with stupid mistakes by youngsters, it does feel odd that you´re so fucking composed already”. 

you considered it, you could tell there was genuine sympathy in there and she wasn´t wrong either, it was pretty clear you weren´t exactly out there being young and wild, “well, I guess spending most of my time only talking to and living with a middle aged man did that”.

she nodded, an understanding smile, “right. well, maybe it's time to change that sweetheart, huh?” you couldn´t tell if she was being genuine or fucking with you, you looked her, squinting your eyes, “you know I can´t exactly get in trouble, Tess. not even a little”.

she knew what you meant, “fun” for younger people those days mostly meant breaking into empty buildings, drinking or getting high there, attempting parties, but with your lifestyle, you knew run-ins with FEDRA were to be avoided at all costs, so nothing like that was on the table for you. besides, it wasn´t exactly your idea of fun, you´d rather find someone to spend time with one on one, but you weren´t gonna tell her all that, not in that moment. 

she nodded, “yeah i know. still, there´s gotta be some way for you to have fun, hm?” it sounded slightly suggestive the way she said it, “sure, i´ll find a way, one day”, you kept it vague too, and she left it at that, since she saw that you were shivering from the cold, “come on, let´s go, you´re also headed down there, right?” pointing down the street you both had to take home, “yeah i am”. you followed her, walking close but not too close, wishing you could link arms, warm yourself up against her. for a second Tess almost offered you her jacket, but she realized how romantic that would´ve seemed, and let it go.

you were rarely scared, not even at night, but it did feel nice for a change, to have someone as intimidating and capable as her next to you, it felt good. she looked ahead, seemingly lost in thought, but she could tell you were looking at her from the side, and she almost felt frustrated by how nervous it made her. nothing made her blood rush anymore those days, not fear, not excitement, nothing; she was hardened, so feeling like she might actually flush from feeling you look at her almost irritated her for a moment, something so simple breaking her open, but she liked it, deep down she did.

you walked in silence for about a minute, and it was ironic that you had thought about feeling safe next to her, because out of nowhere a loud bang startled both of you. you stopped in your tracks, your minds racing: was it a gunshot? an explosion? a car crashing into something? it was too far to tell, but close enough to be alarmed. five seconds passed of you two standing there frozen, listening, before gunfire opened nearby. you could hear what sounded like a pretty large group of FEDRA assholes quickly stomping down the street, and within one second Tess had her own gun in her hand, yanking your arm with the other one, instructing with urgency “run!”, not letting go, pulling you down the street. from the look of it she had her eyes on some escape route and she did. 

in that moment it became crystal clear that she had years and years of experience on you, while you were still thinking she had only needed a split second to do the right thing, to think of a way out. by the sound of it they were coming dangerously close, you could hear screaming, shots being fired, the darkness ruptured by car lights, you had very little distance between you and them, and Tess made you run faster than you´d run in ages, never letting go of your hand. she pulled you into a small alley, letting go once you reached a few metal trash cans that she immediately kicked to the side, revealing a small door that lead into the backside of the tall building it belonged to, ripping it open and pushing you inside, before following and banging the door shut behind you.

you were out of breath, trying to think. the room smelled ancient, damp and was completely dark, there was no way of seeing, but you could hear her breathing and cursing under her breath next to you. “jesus fucking christ” you said, “crack-downs usually only happen during the day what is their fucking problem??”. you were pissed, your lungs were stinging. “yeah, get used to it, lately it´s been all the fucking time” by the sound of it she was still hunched over and very out of breath, you couldn´t help but laugh then, “I take it running isn´t one of your hobbies, huh?”. 

she couldn´t see, so she just guessed where you were standing and slapped in that direction, making contact with your stomach for a second, “just you wait til you´re old, see how funny this is then”. you were grinning, “old? Tess, you´re barely over 40”, she shook her head, calming down, resting against the wall then, “how about you quit the comedy and say: thank you Tess for saving me. I´m so grateful you weren´t a deer in headlights like me and dragged my ass to safety”. you mirrored her actions then, you arm hitting hers in the dark, “fuck off, you were just quick as hell”, she took it as a compliment, secretly enjoying the more familiar vibe that was suddenly in the air, “yeah I was, lucky for you”. 

“so, what is this place?” you asked, “little thing I discovered back in the day. as you know this area isn´t exactly the greatest, they love targeting us here so yeah, saved my ass a few times, but it´s been a while”, “cozy.” you said, flatly, “hey, if you wanna go back out there and get your head blown off instead, be my guest” she snapped back, it was funny to you, how easy it was to rile her up.

“I think about an hour and we´ll be fine to leave. things usually die down within that time frame”, “an hour??” you exclaimed, clearly not happy. “yes, an hour. don´t act like you have anywhere else to be, I know you don´t”, “wow okay, rub it in, go ahead”, she smiled then, perhaps she´d exaggerated a little, maybe half an hour would have been fine, maybe she´d subconsciously bought herself more time with you.

“we don´t have to stand here by the way, there´s a ladder somewhere that leads to a hallway and room, go on feel around, it can´t be far”, you started searching for it in the dark, hands reaching into empty space until something would show up, “so I´ll just climb up in total darkness and crack my head open if I miss a step and fall?”, she shook her head “alright, drama queen. if anything I´ll crack my head, you´re going ahead of me, so worst case you´ll fall back onto me”, you smiled then, safe to do so because she couldn´t see, “still, not great”. you found it, “here, come”. you could feel her close behind you while stepping onto the ladder, a few steps up, you could feel her following, her hands on your back then, sending a shiver down your spine that you hoped she didn´t feel.

“go on, i got it” she reassured. it wasn´t far up, a few moments later you could feel a floor, your palms flat against it, pulling yourself up, letting out an audible groan as you tried to get up on your feet from that position, she laughed, “and you of all people had the audacity to make fun of my fitness”, “shut up” you whispered, as you could feel her standing up behind you, reaching for you to make sure you were both far away enough from the ledge, her fingers making your skin feel warmer.

“there´s a lightswitch somewhere here, wait” she slapped the stone wall in random places until a tiny lightbulb above you flickered on, your eyes adjusting for a second. once you could see again, you both realized you´d been holding onto each other´s arms pretty tightly and let go at the same time, seeing each other´s faces, a little flushed, and for a moment you just stared at each other, collecting yourselves, before she looked around, pointing down the small corridor, “come”. you followed, watching her adjust her shirt, her usual half up half down hairstyle somehow even better after it had come undone a little, you tried to snap out of it, but her physicality was drawing all of your attention in.

she pushed the door open, there was some resistance from the old wood but it was no struggle for her; Tess was strong, you knew that of course but actually seeing it like that was something you could get used to. the room was barely bigger than a broom closet but you could both sit on the floor. she slid down the wall, motioning for you to follow. you sat across from each other, knees almost touching.

“oh fuck” she grabbed your hand, you had no idea what was going on until you looked down: your knuckles were bleeding. you´d scraped them but couldn´t even remember how or where, which she took note of, the fact that your body seemed to be so numb that you didn´t even register an injury. “oh..” you said, unfazed, “hold on” Tess said, and before you could stop her she took the hem of her shirt in her hands and pretty violently ripped a part of it off, telling you to hold out your hand before quickly tying the soft fabric around, over your knuckles, the blood getting soaked up by it, “there you go”. you shook your head, “that really wasn´t necessary Tess, you fucked up your shirt for me”, she waved it off, “oh who cares, we can´t have open wounds here”. you looked down at where she´d bandaged you, a sting in your heart: how long had it been since someone had shown you care like that? 

you put your head in your hands then, a sudden throbbing headache. you were usually already asleep in a drug induced haze at that hour and you knew your body was eager to shut down, but you forced yourself awake, rubbing your temples, sitting upright again.

she was observing you, quietly, just looking, “you okay there?”, “yeah yeah, just… long day, that´s all”, she nodded, slowly “right. you wanna stop lying to me any time soon, or no?”.

you met her gaze then, she held it, refusing to let it go, you shrugged “I don´t know what you want me to say, Tess”, whatever she was doing was working, you were not in a position to lie with her that close to you, that attentive, picking up on every little mannerism. 

“how about you start by telling me how you´re actually doing. what you´re doing to cope. because i know it´s not fucking meditation or journaling”, a tired smile from you then, you briefly broke eye contact, thinking about how to put it, before looking back at her.

“I think the answer is so obvious that it flew over your head”, she was confused then, “how so?”, you cocked your head, “come on, Tess. in our business? what does literally everyone do to cope?”. her eyes went wide then, she shook her head, “no. I can tell you´re not on drugs, I know the look”.

“well, i don´t do it during the day…” she looked alarmed, “what the fuck are you telling me?” you felt vulnerable then, having actually put it out there. you were looking at her with pleading eyes, not wanting to say it word for word, hoping she´d catch on. she was louder then, “jesus fucking christ, what kind of drugs?” your voice was quiet, a little defensive, “well, I don´t drink and I don´t smoke. so you do the math.” 

she pressed her hands together, looking at the floor for a moment, she seemed angry, “you´re hooked on pills, that's what you´re saying?”, you shrugged, “I don´t know if hooked is the word I´d use-” she interrupted, her tone hard, unforgiving “that´s exactly what someone who is hooked would say”, you threw your hands up, defeated, “right okay”. 

she tried to calm down a little, “how much?”, you debated lying, but it was clear you were past that, there was no point, so you told her the average amount you took, and the shock on her face didn´t feel great. “are you fucking with me? that could knock out a horse!”, her voice echoed through the empty hall, a moment of silence after, you didn´t feel shame but something related to it, seeing her react that strongly mirrored back to you how serious your situation was. she shook her head for a while, processing, her hand on your knee then, firm as she spoke, “you´re gonna have to stop that. and I mean it. that shit could easily kill you if you don´t”. you didn´t have it in you to fight then, you just looked at her, no words were coming, “oh, so that´s fine with you, yeah?”, you got angry too then.

“hey I didn´t choose this fucking life okay? I did what I could to not go insane, and considering all the nut-jobs i´ve had to deal with, I´d say i´m not doing that bad of a job”, Tess realized then that it wouldn´t help to be accusatory, she let up a little, feeling sympathy for you as she watched you nervously fidget with your clothes.

“he had no clue, did he?” she asked, quietly, you shook your head “no, thank god. he had enough to worry about” she eyed you, something like respect mixed into the obvious concern, “you really know how to keep a secret, don´t you?” she knew it must´ve been years of that habit for it to sound as casual as it did, coming out of your mouth, and it mostly pained her to think of you as a teenager doing all that, but somehow it also impressed her: the fact that nobody ever caught on. 

you didn´t smile then, but your expression became lighter, “yeah, you´re actually the only one who knows now”, that surprised her, touched her a little even, realizing that it must´ve been pretty vulnerable of you to tell her. “really?”, you nodded, “hm yeah. guess you should feel good about yourself, your intuition is still in-tact”, she almost laughed then, “right, that´s a huge consolation, that I was right about you having some fucked up secret”.

you looked at her with clear affection then, your walls had come down and she saw it, returning the look, glad she´d actually gotten somewhere with you. “well, I might have to drag you out at night, to stop all that”, you shook your head “that would not be pretty, I´d be a mess, you´d hate it”, “oh, I´d manage” she said, sounding convinced of it.

you smiled, “thank you, but no”. she got it, you were grown and had to deal with it on your own, still, she hated the idea of leaving you to your own devices. her soft spot for you had only grown softer all day; sitting next to you for hours, listening to your thoughts, your voice, the feeling of your hand as you both ran off, the feeling of you so close in that room, being trusted with something you hadn´t told anyone before. Tess was in deep, and she knew it, she tried hard to let it go, but it was a losing battle. seeing you there, your face half-lit by the weak lightbulb, your knees pulled to your chest, your eyes, tired but beautiful, it gave her the urge to reach out and touch you, make you feel better, but she kept it in, sat there stone-faced, mostly, but you saw something, it was there, her demeanor had shifted. 

for few minutes you just sat there in silence, both lost in thought, resting against the walls, eyes closed. she realized that it might be a good idea to repay you for your honesty, to not let you sit alone in the uncomfortable feeling of having shared something personal, so she spoke up, “listen. I don´t usually talk about this stuff because it´s been ages and I don´t want pity or consolation, but I lost everyone I cared about during the outbreak, truly all of them, and for a good while I thought I´d never survive it. but, here I am. and I am not saying that it´s been easy, not at all, but I did survive it, so. keep that in mind when you feel like it´s all too much.” 

you took in the words. it was rare, for her to speak of her past, you sensed that she might actually be trying to get closer to you, to bond, “I´m really sorry, that must´ve been awful. it probably still is. but you´re stronger than me, Tess, I can´t compare myself to you”. 

she shook her head “no, I´ve just had time to polish the facade, trust me. you should´ve seen me about a decade ago, I was going through it, it was ugly”, you looked at her then, realizing that beneath her tough aura that seemed so effortless, so natural, there was also a lot of pain, a lot of hurt she´d pushed through, sensitivity she kept to herself. 

it felt good, to share the feeling of being softer on the inside than either of you let on. you absentmindedly rested your head on her leg, your body clearly tired from the day, more prone to random acts of affection like that without thinking twice, you didn´t care in that moment, she didn´t either, patting your hand with hers a little, resting it there for a second. 

“you´ll be fine” she declared, you locked eyes with her, “I´ll try”, her hand squeezing yours reassuringly. “trust me, I´ve seen lost causes, that´s not you”, you looked at her then, “yeah, what am I then?”, she smiled, “a salvageable cause” you laughed then, “I´ll take that”.

she was glad to see you loosening up again. it was soothing, the dark confined space, the quiet, the vibe that had settled between you and her, it felt like you were hidden from the world, like you´d been offered a brief moment of peace, without thinking you rested your head on your knees, closing your eyes for a second, Tess watched you, feeling protective over you, her hand resting on your leg that was propped up in her direction. after a while you felt her nudging you.

“I think we should be fine to go now” she said, and you tried to mask the disappointment, wishing you could stay there with her longer, which was a feeling you weren´t alone in. 

she stood first and pulled you up, again, no struggle for her, her hand´s grip on yours too brief, you wished she´d have kept holding it like that. as you both stood there, face to face, a little raw from the personal discussion, something passed between you; the air was charged, both of you felt it, searching the other person´s eyes, your bodies barely an inch apart, but before it could lead anywhere, you both got scared of doing something you´d regret and looked away, acting casual,  or at least trying to. you made your way down to the door, she tentatively opened it, not all the way, gauging the situation outside first, but it was all quiet, so she waved you out.

it was pitch black by then, freezing, a clear night, the full moon illuminating the streets. somehow there was a shared agreement between you and Tess, that what you´d said in that little room would stay in there, almost like a confession booth; the moment you were walking down the street, you were both your usual tough selves again. 

the walk home was wordless, your house was the first you reached, and at first you just stood there, almost shy, both unsure how to say goodnight after spending the entire day together, both thinking things you wouldn´t say.

Tess broke the silence first, “so. I know you´re about as bad as me at accepting help, but I´ll say it one more time: I am here if there´s ever anything I can do for you. and maybe pick up smoking instead of.. you know” a genuine laugh from you then, “okay, good idea. and thank you. for-” you gestured around between you and her, trying to convey gratitude without specifying what exactly for, she got it, “don´t mention it, you´re by far not the worst person to be trapped in a room with” she said with a smug grin, before giving your shoulder a brief squeeze and saying goodnight. as she walked off your gaze fell down to your bandaged knuckles, and something in you told you she wouldn´t have done that for just anyone. at least you hoped so.

that night you didn´t consciously skip the drugs, her asking you to quit was not enough to kill that instinct; you simply forgot. the next morning you couldn´t even remember how you´d undressed, showered, and gotten into bed, you´d been so lost in your thoughts about Tess, that you´d somehow fallen asleep before you could reach for any self-medication. 

you couldn´t help but see the irony, that she´d berated you for the habit and without knowing it actually succeeded in getting you to stop that day, not with her words, but with the deep attraction you felt to her, the way it took over your whole mind and body, no space left for worrying about anything other than when you´d see her again. 

the next few days, nothing much changed. a whole week went by, then another, and nothing in particular was worse than the weeks before, but that was the issue; it was an endless cycle of living the same day. you felt like you were trapped doing the exact same things over and over, nothing to look forward to, nobody to talk to other than people you were involved with for work, it was just sleep and business and suppression of anything unpleasant you were feeling, every day, no moments of peace or laughter or joy, no light at the end of the tunnel. 

one night about a month after you´d last seen Tess, except for a brief nod from across the street a few times, you couldn´t take it anymore. it was late, you were alone in your apartment and the silence was killing you, the loneliness, the same routine, all of it. you had to move and get up, so you stepped outside at 11 pm, knowing there was only one person you could go to. 

you were counting on Tess still being awake at that hour. once you reached her apartment door you were nervous, the second you knocked you felt adrenaline rushing, because you realized you hadn´t even bothered to make up a lie as to why you were there. she opened the door and looked at you with a smile that said and who do we have here?.

the moment Tess laid eyes on you, she could tell you weren´t doing any better than the last time she´d seen you. the light in your eyes had dimmed even more, so she saved the jokes and the teasing, she didn´t demand an explanation, “come in”, relief washed over you as you stepped inside. you followed her down the dark hallway to the living room that was connected to an open kitchen, you took in the room and unsurprisingly it did not give much away about her; decorations were sparse, no posters on the wall, no sentimental photos, but a few candles were burning and the room seemed like a peaceful space.

“sorry, I know it´s late”, you said, slightly self-conscious, aware it might seem odd to just turn up like that, but she turned to look at you as she walked over the the kitchen, clearly unbothered, “oh no, don´t worry, I never sleep before midnight anyway”. it almost felt more humiliating, to be treated with kindness, somehow you didn´t feel deserving of it. 

she saw you standing in the middle of the room, a little timid, so she gestured over to the couch emphatically, “sit.” it sounded more like an order than an invitation, which you liked, her brand of care that always had a subtle touch of dominance to it. 

as you sat down, trying to position your body in a way that would look natural, she came over, bending down to hand you a glass of water, “here, drink”, her voice warm and strong.

she didn´t sit down next to you on the couch, but on the armchair next to it, you almost told her to come and join you but you knew how that would have sounded, so you drank up, set the glass down and faced her. 

she had crossed her legs and was leaning her head on her hand by then, watching you, her hardened face somehow much softer in the candlelight, her eyes shimmering, her hair falling down her face in loose waves, the sight making all your unexpressed feelings for her bubble up. you tried not to just stare at her as she spoke up, “so. couldn´t sleep?”.

you shook your head, leaning back a little, exhaling shakily, looking over at her, “no. not at all”. “hmm” she waited a moment before asking “wanna tell me why?”. you knew you hadn´t come over to lie, so you nodded, “yeah. well, I stopped taking anything like three weeks ago”, she leaned forward then, “that´s good, I´m glad. did anything prompt that, or did you just stop because you wanted to?”. 

she was onto something, and you felt the need to share it, “no, there was a moment. it was pretty dumb actually, one day I just fell, or collapsed I should say, out of nowhere. I know all the side effects but that one had never happened before, and I landed pretty fucking hard”. you were a little shy as you pulled up your shirt to reveal the left side of your ribs, the bruises were faded because it had been a few weeks but the outline was still very much there, faint yellow and green, the way bruises look towards the end of the healing process, the impact had spanned over multiple of your ribs. 

Tess flinched for a second when she saw your skin, a mix of attraction and pain, “jesus…” she whispered, trying to suppress the urge walk over and see it up close, “I´m so sorry, that must´ve hurt like hell”, you nodded, letting your shirt down again, a little embarrassed by the story. she was clearly affected by it, her eyes giving it away, “and let me guess, you didn´t ask for help or stay in bed, did you?”, you just looked at her, wordlessly signaling that she was right of course. 

she changed the way she was sitting then, relaxing her posture again, shaking her head a little, “what are we gonna do with you, hm?” a faint smile, eyeing you the way you eye someone who just fucked something up, but in a way that somehow makes you feel even more softly towards them. 

you continued, nervously running your hand up and down your thigh, “Tess, it´s been awful. really, I can´t sleep anymore. I am awake all the fucking time, it´s horrible.”,

your voice tinged with a sense of hopelessness that alarmed her, she tried to frame it positively for you, “well, then it´s impressive I´d say, that you pushed through for a few weeks already. despite all that”. you considered it “right, yeah I guess. but I feel no better than before. I don´t know Tess, I´m -” your gaze was cast to the floor, you were clearly struggling to find the right words, she encouraged you, “what is it? tell me”, you looked back at her again, “it´s just… is this all there is?” you vaguely gestured around, she cocked her head, “you´ll have to be a little more specific than that, sweetheart”. 

“I mean this life we´re living. of course I wasn´t naive when I was younger, it was obvious I wouldn´t get to live a dream, still, I did have hope for something. but now that I´m in it, it´s so bleak. it´s the same meaningless shit every single day, and I just can´t stomach the fact that this is gonna be my life forever. how in the world have you been doing this for so long? I don´t get it, Tess, it´s fucking killing me” your voice was different than usual, she knew your usual tone: composed, slow, unwavering, but in that moment it was flipped, you sounded panicked, and it hurt, it hurt her to see someone like you in that state, knowing how much it must´ve taken to break you down like that. 

she waited for a moment, but she just couldn´t stay in her seat any longer, so she got up and sat down next to you, speaking quietly, softly, “listen. I get what you´re saying, and I won´t deny it, it gets dark times, it definitely does, but you´re in a particularly rough spot right now, and it will not be this level of awful forever. trust me, I´d know.” 

you looked up at her then, adjusting your posture to face her properly. Tess was many things, but she was not a liar, so you tried your best to really absorb what she´d said, to internalize it. “okay. I do believe you” she nodded, glad you were receptive to her comfort, her gaze fell to your left hand then, a few leftover bruises from the fall were also visible there. instinctively, without thinking twice,  she reached out, her fingers ever so lightly running over the discolored skin, the sudden tenderness almost made you cry, she kept looking at your hand, kept holding it, “why didn´t you come to me earlier?” a genuine question. 

you were so focused on how good it felt to be touched by her that it took you a second to answer, “I don´t know. what could you have done?”, she almost laughed then, “use your imagination, the things anyone with half a heart would do for an injured person: be nice, make some tea, maybe if I was feeling really crazy even offer a hug” you smiled then, “right. that does sound good”, “yeah, too bad you´re so strict with that suffering in silence vow you took”, you regained some humor then, “well if I wasn´t, I might have shown up here like this many times already so. careful what you wish for” she grinned then, “and you think I would´ve found that horrible, yeah?” you shrugged, “I don´t know, you tell me”.

she shook her head, amused by your refusal to see that she would pretty much drop anything to help you at any given time, “I don´t do charity, sweetie. when I say I´m here for someone, I mean it” you squeezed her hand then, realizing she´d been holding onto yours for the past minute or so. you were both looking at each other, feeling each other´s leg because you were sitting so close, faces not far apart, not at all, and something shifted in a split second. it had been a while since either of you had been with someone, but in that moment it was like your bodies were simultaneously remembering what desire feels like, more intensely than ever before, and you both saw it in the other person, mirrored back. 

Tess was the first to move, she put her hand to your cheek, her thumb almost brushing over your lips, her gaze wandering over every part of your face, your breathing heavier instantly, you looked at her with pleading eyes, but she had given you that physical cue to make the decision yours. you saw her waiting, hoping, and gave in, hand on the side of her face, fingers in her hair, pulling her in for a kiss, harder than you intended, impatient, your lips warm against hers, your body immediately leaning in as close as possible, it took Tess one second to react, but the moment she felt you kissing her with that deep eagerness, it hit her: oh. this girl really wants me.

so she grabbed you with both hands and deepened the kiss, letting you climb onto her, holding you in place as you both abandoned restraint and hungrily kissed each other over and over until you felt your tongue against hers and slowed it down a little to savor it, softly moaning into her mouth, hearing her sounds mix with yours, turning each other on even more, her hands going lower and lower on your body, stopping at your waist, your back, her grip on you almost as arousing as the kiss, your whole body melting into her touch, the tension thick and heavy, your bodies almost overheating. your movements were desperate, your sounds too, everything about it was, it truly seemed like no amount of closeness was close enough, like you were so starved you might actually devour each other. 

she could feel you pushing up against her while you kissed, and as you both caught your breaths for a moment, she could tell you needed more from her, it was not the time for anything that would take too long, not in that moment, but she knew she could help you relax, release some tension, and as if you could read her mind she could hear you begging “please Tess”, your face close to hers, a shiver as she heard the neediness in your voice, luckily clothes were pretty loose, no need to fumble with a zipper or undress, she had no trouble just slipping her hand under the fabric, down to your underwear, she could hear you take a sharp breath in.

 “I got you” she reassured, “let me make you feel good, okay?”, you leaned back into the couch as she pushed you back with one arm and moved herself to an angle that would work, your legs apart then, her hand grazing your cunt through the soaked fabric.

she breathed even heavier then, feeling the effect she had on you, her fingers cold against the heat of your core, the contrast making you dizzy for a moment, shaking slightly, already sighing just from that, she cooed at you “it´s okay” as her fingers made direct contact with your cunt, her fingers sliding between your aroused lips, a moan almost leaving her as she felt your juices covering her skin, slick with it within one second, hearing you whine a little as she moved her fingers up and down, not even thinking about your pleasure for a second but her own, the thrill of having a pretty girl claim her in that sense, covering her in wetness, already fantasizing about getting her whole face up in it, tasting you. 

the thought pushed her to add more pressure to her movements, the passion taking her over, fully, moving her fingers to your clit then, sensing it was the right thing because you were louder then, shaking almost, clinging to her, “fuck…don´t stop, please” tumbled out of your mouth as she drew circles over the sensitive spot, she felt your hips pushing upwards, her eyes back on your face then, watching you come undone, her chest swelling with the pleasure of knowing it was her doing: your eyes shut, your lips parted. “you´re so fucking pretty” she whispered while feeling your cunt practically dripping onto her hand, the words pushing you towards your orgasm even faster, she could tell you were close, so she leaned down a little, facing you, pinning you to the couch as she kept teasing your clit.

the thing that got you more turned on than you ever remembered being, was the her movements were not erratic or too fast, but secure and skilled, hard but not aggressive, a slow sensuality to it that was so powerful that you whole body burned with the sensation, “fuck, I´m-” you couldn´t even from the whole sentence but she knew what you were trying to say, “just let go sweetie, cum for me”, encouraging you to cum against her hand, which you did, a violent shudder going through you as you arched up against her hand one last time, and what killed you then was the even as you came down from the climax, she was still watching you, still touching you, so drunk on the feeling of your cum all over her fingers that she just couldn´t let go before you were truly finished.

you slumped back against the couch as she got up from on top of you and sat down next to you, also a little spent, leaning back. once you were coherent again, you looked over at her, exhausted but face glowing, she turned to face you, pleased to see you smile, “god that felt good..” you said, still high on endorphins, resting your hand on her leg, she laced her fingers between yours, “yeah. it did”, making sure you knew that got just as much out of it.

“did you call me pretty or did I imagine that?” you asked, smiling at her, she grinned, realizing that you were the type to really crave praise but not ask for it explicitly, “I´ll say it again, you´re very pretty”, her voice low and sultry, a satisfied look to you. she just said what she was thinking before she could change her mind, “do you wanna stay here tonight? you can sleep over if you want, it´s late” you sat upright then, moving over to her side of the couch, getting up in her space again, hand on her chest, “yeah I´d like that”, an enthusiasm to your expression that made her happy, “okay good. we´ll have to share a blanket though” she said, you laughed then, “I can handle that I think”.

you´d already showered and changed into comfortable clothes before you came over, so she told you to just get comfortable on whatever side of the bed you wanted, while she´d go freshen up. her bedroom was similar to her living room, minimal decor, but comfortable, warm, a few of her clothes over a chair in the corner, a wooden bedside table with a few books, a small lamp, a lighter, a candle, the bedspread a soft creme color, the window half concealed by dark curtains. it somehow smelled like her, slightly fresh, slightly woody, a hint of musk in there too. at first you didn´t even want to touch anything, feeling like a kind of intruder, but the second you sat down on the right side of the bed it was too soft and relaxing not to give in and get comfortable. 

you were leaned against the headboard, still high on the feeling of her all over you, taking the room in, stretching your legs out, your hands running over the fabric of the sheets.

a few minutes later Tess she came into the room, her hair slightly damp, face fresh and glowing, dressed in a t-shirt and underwear. you were glad to see that she was already fine with you seeing her like that, even though you hadn´t seen her naked yet. 

your gaze wandered to her strong thighs as she walked over to her wardrobe and got out a pair of sweatpants, she smiled to herself, feeling your attention even though she had her back turned to you, “you´re staring” she said, her voice giving away that she enjoyed it, “I know” you responded, which made her laugh and turn around to look at you.

you didn´t even bother to pretend, you were still clearly checking her out as she got dressed, “I think I deserve something in return for that” she said as she walked over to her side of the bed and got onto the covers with you, eyeing you from the side, “yeah like what?”, she smiled, pulling you closer in one swift motion, her hand finding the bare skin of your thighs under the fabric, squeezing a little, just taking in the feeling of your soft skin, you were face to face, and your grin gave away that she could do pretty much whatever she wanted to you, “if you want me to undress I can do that you know”, you teased, she shook her head, “no, this is good, I like having something to look forward to”, that was the charming way of putting it, Tess also could´ve said we can´t fuck right now because we´re both tired and I´ll need the first time of getting a taste of you to last as long as possible. 

you blushed a little then, your hand in her hair, taking in the sight of her outside of her usual guarded physicality, all sweet and affectionate, relaxed, hand under her shirt, on her back, it was surprising to you, that nothing you did, no amount of touching her, seemed to be too much at all, even though she was not a hugger, not a person for handshakes even, so it made you feel free in your greediness for her.

 you spent a short while just laying there, half entwined, the sleepiness adding to the slow tenderness of the moment, she seemed mesmerized as her hand wandered further up your body, pushing your shirt up a little to trace your side with her fingers, you leaned in to kiss her, pulling her closer by the neck, Tess pulling your lower side close hers with the grip she had on your waist. you were dizzy from the warm sensation of her lips, her skin, your leg over hers, the way she immediately kissed you back with a need she couldn´t hide, eliciting a few low sounds of pleasure from you, you only parted once you both needed air, “come on” she said, she motioned for you to get under the covers with her, the room a little too cold to stay like that for long.

the moment you were under the blanket a shyness returned, the intimacy of truly being in bed with her like that suddenly making you hesitant to move, which she saw, and it amused her, that this girl who had no issue firing a gun, beating people up if needed, dealing godless amounts of drugs, suddenly seemed unable to just take up the personal space of a woman who was very clearly into her. the contrast charmed her, made her realize that she had a good amount of power over you but the good kind, the kind that allowed her to make you feel safe, free to show your more vulnerable self for once.

she smiled at you, “so, you wanna stay on your side or?...” 

you realized she was teasing a little, sensing your apprehension, it made you remember there was no need to be hesitant at all, so you shook your head, smiling back at her, “well come here then”. she opened her arms, gesturing for you to lay down on her however you wanted, which you did. you moved over and it felt so natural, to just lay your head on her chest and rest your arm on her stomach, everything about it felt like you´d done it before, the way Tess´s hand immediately found its way to your hair, running her fingers through it, softly, the repeated rhythm of it immediately putting you at ease, the feeling of your face against her chest reminding her how much she´d craved it all along, to feel useful, needed, to feel like her presence was actually making a difference to someone who deserved it. 

“that feels nice” you whispered, your voice sleepy at that point, your body slack against hers, she ruffled your hair a little, feeling you lean into her hand, moving it down to caress your cheek, both of you slowly dozing off, so she reached over and switched off the small light that was still on, letting you stay on top of her, soothed by your weight on top of her. usually she had a hard time falling asleep, but it was impossible to stay awake any longer, you were both too comfortable.

when you woke up a few hours later in the dead of night, you realized that you´d moved over to your own side in your sleep, and when you realized that you were too awake to drift off again, you rolled over to watch Tess, who was sort of facing you in her sleep. she looked graceful, her mouth was closed, her cheeks were a little flushed, her hair spread out over the pillow, you just laid there admiring her.

she stirred a few moments later but you couldn´t be bothered to turn away and pretend you weren´t looking, so when she opened her eyes a little, you heard her say in a raspy quiet voice “are you watching me sleep?”, you smiled, “maybe”, she shook her head a little, clearly still half asleep, you added “you´re a pretty sleeper”, a sly grin on your face, “you don´t have to suck up to me, I already like you”, Tess uttered, witty even while she wasn´t fully conscious, you protested, “I mean it”, she had her eyes closed but spoke again, “that´s very charming but you should sleep instead”, “I tried” you said. 

the liminal quality of that moment, the almost dreamlike air, made it easy for Tess to have no issue doing what she did next: she tapped you on the side of your body that was facing her “turn around”, telling you to get on your side and face away from her, “let´s try this”, she said, pulling you closer by wrapping her arm around you and getting into a big spoon type position, her chest pressed against your back then, her arm around your waist, and she was right to guess that it would help, her warmth immediately made your eyes feel heavy again, the sensation too good not to just melt into and lose yourself in. you put your hand over hers, and within about ten minutes you were both sound asleep again.

the next morning, it took you a moment to come to your senses and realize where you were, but the second you did, an unfamiliar thing happened: you were flooded with joy instead of dread. usually mornings were your least favorite part of the day, the things you had to do looming ahead of you, but as you saw the sun coming into Tess´s room, you felt at peace, content. the space next to you was empty and you could hear Tess moving around in the kitchen, so you got up, went to the bathroom to splash some water on your face, and walked to the kitchen. since you weren´t wearing shoes she didn´t hear you come in, so you just stood there watching her from across the room, smiling, until she turned around, “well, hello there” she said, unable to hide the obvious pure joy she felt at seeing you. 

it had been a long time since Tess had dated or even hooked up with anyone, let alone let someone stay over, so every little detail of being with you gave her a rush, the sight of you leaning against the wall with your face still a little scrunched up from sleep was enough to make her feel warm all over, so she was almost scared of what it would feel like once you´d actually do something explicitly romantic for her. somehow you both knew it without saying, that you were about to spend a lot of time together, that you were both in need of much more than just one night. Tess wasn´t thinking as far as being your girlfriend yet, but part of her hoped, part of her did love the idea of finally being devoted to someone the way she always wanted to be.

she waved you over to where she was standing, setting a cup of coffee down on the counter, “perfect timing, I just got done with this” she put down some sugar too in case you wanted it. you approached her, almost a little shy, knowing she was seeing you in a rather personal light then, having barely been awake for more than five minutes, but she was clearly enamored by it. you gratefully took the cup and warmed your hands against it, taking a sip, leaning against over counter, looking at her, feeling her gaze on you the entire time. it was almost too good to be true, normally your entire day was spent in a haze where nobody could reach you, and there she was, disrupting it, again and again, making you come back to life just by being there.

“you could have woken me up, you know” you said, but she just shook her head, “no fucking way, I was glad you were sleeping so well” a grin that gave away she knew it was partly thanks to her, you nodded, your face muscles almost hurting from having been frozen in a permanent smile for the past few minutes, “yeah I do feel much better than yesterday. I wonder why that is” you said while taking her hand.

she tucked a strand of your hair behind your ear, eyeing you, “is there anything you need to do today?” she asked, praying the answer was no, you shook your head, “no, nothing until Monday. you?” hoping for the same answer, she thought for a moment “well, nothing I couldn´t put off for a day or two” a faint smile, you got up then, walking over to her, putting your arms around her neck,“put it off then” you said, before leaning in to tenderly kiss her cheek, her neck, whispering against her skin “please stay here Tess. please”, your voice dripping with sweetness, her breathing changed as she felt you all over her skin, she thought of course this girl is clever enough to know what begging does to me, her hands on your back then, under your shirt, “okay, I´m not going anywhere” she said, and of course she wouldn´t, she already knew that before your act of persuasion, but she liked seeing you try to convince her.

“I think we should go back to bed” you declared, staring at her, a boldness that came out of nowhere but felt exactly right, she grinned, her hands on your waist, pulling you close, “you think so, yeah?”, you just looked at her, words were unnecessary, your hunger for her apparent in your gaze, Tess felt her face growing hot. it was one thing that you´d wanted her when you were weak and exhausted and needed comfort, it was another that you also wanted her when you were well rested and fine and could´ve thought of other things to start your day with, but apparently still only had her on your mind. “let´s get you out of these then, hm” she said, tugging at your clothes, your eyes sparkling up at her before she took your hand and lead you back to her room.

as she pulled off your shirt and started kissing your chest, you had that same feeling again that you´d had years ago: despite all the pain, the darkness that had seeped into your life at times, you knew in that moment how lucky you were that someone like Tess had paid attention to you in exact right moment, that she did not just help you, but made you come alive again. 

finally, you found yourself not wanting to escape your body anymore, finally you were happy to be fully present, trying your best to soak up every little detail, the feeling of the sun spilling in, of being undressed by Tess, being admired, held by her.

it seemed like divine intervention to you, that Tess had come into your life right when you needed her the most. 

[running-tweezers]

Good Morning

A short Damien/Huxley ficlet that wouldn’t leave my head until I put it out into the world

(This is also my very first post on ao3 if you’d like to read it there)

Damien’s relationship with sleep had always been less than ideal.

Until now.

Damien’s relationship with sleep had always been less than ideal.

Even as a kid, he spent nights awake, under his comforter reading library books by flashlight, listening intently for his mom’s footsteps down the hallway. It was an escape, a time when he could be alone, with no eyes on him. No one around to expect anything of him. He could forget about that less than stellar mark on his history test and his mom’s disappointed glance, and just lose himself in a story. No stakes. No pressure. The night was his time.

He would eventually wake in the morning, with his book still in hand and the flashlight on the floor, with only the foggiest memories of drifting to sleep.

Growing into a teenager, that expectation started to cling to him, refusing to loosen its grip. It dug its claws into what was previously his only hours of peace. The quiet freedom of the darkness was traded for late night study sessions. The reading he did for his own joy was traded for dull textbooks, impenetrable blocks of information to brute force into his head. He had to. He had no other choice.

After those nights, he would startle awake at the sound of his alarm. His back and neck twisted into impossible painful positions, his head planted on the desk, with no recollection of when he finally gave out.

Nowadays, he wished he could say with confidence that those late nights were behind him. A good sleep schedule was important, and he knew that. But old habits die hard. The problem was never staying asleep. Once he was out, he stayed that way. The issue was falling asleep in the first place. It was still all too common for him to glance at his phone after hours of tossing and turning to see 3 AM staring back at him in the bright light.

He had tried everything. He diligently monitored his screen time before bed, and saw no improvement. Changing the temperature of the room did nothing, his core always kept him warm anyway. He wasn’t skilled enough at dreamwalking magic to do any good. Counting sheep was laughable. Breathing exercises proved useless. Taking melatonin worked alright for a while, but night after night he could feel the effectiveness waning. Earplugs, ASMR, chamomile tea, aromatherapy, there was nothing he wasn't willing to try. And nothing made a bit of difference.

Except one.

Huxley had no problems with sleep. Within minutes of his head hitting the pillow, he was out like a light. Sleeping like a rock. It would almost be funny if it didn’t make him so jealous. Falling asleep that quickly seemed unfathomable to him, but since moving in with Hux, he got to witness it every night.

But that wasn’t all he got.

Now he had Huxley’s arm draped over his waist. The soft sensation of skin pressed up against his back. The rise and fall of his chest. That quiet, rhythmic breathing had started to lull Damien closer to sleep without even trying. He sunk deeper and deeper under the gentle weight of that arm around him. When Hux pulled him closer, curling around him, it only pulled him further into drowsiness. Huxley’s lips absently brushing the top of his head was the final push over the edge into a peaceful night.

Now when he wakes he’s content and well rested, as he rolls over to see an already smiling face. The first thing he hears is that deep, sleepy morning voice that immediately fills him with more warmth than even his core can provide.

“Mornin’ Dames.”

And damn, did that ever make it a good morning.

[empressgeekt]

I'm curious now, if someone made a reaction fic with canon watching your stories (not me because I suck at those), how do you think they would react? Especially if Branch was still gray?

Oh I play out this fic plot in my head on almost a daily basis.

If I were to put, Grey Branch, Poppy, Viva the snackpack, and Brozone into a room to watch my aus, both fics would probably start the same. Shock on both sides (brozone to Branch's state, and The Snackpack to Branch's alter ego as Bitty B), but eventually they'd all settle and start watching. Though, Brozone would definitely not that Creek at first glance. Viva would cling to her sister and the Snackpack would welcome her, but they would be very confused when she starts acting paranoid about the bergens like Branch, and Creek would..be Creek...getting on her bad side. Bruce would have to step in explaining that Trauma doesn't work the way Creek is trying to simplify it (he read a lot of the vacationer's psychology books before his kids were born). Needless to say, by the time that everyone has sat down the room is tense.

For Burning Branches it's pretty clear that this is an alternate universe so, they kind of just sit back and enjoy.

The Snackpack would get to witness the abuse a tiny grey branch would get in the tree, while Brozone gets to see Branch follow in there footsteps and escaping on his own. Branch himself remembers a few of these events but doesn't remember leaving so he interested in seeing where he counterpart went. Practically everyone panics when they see the head injury on screen, Floyd even starts crying at the sight. Once the rock trolls get involved it draws a lot of surprise from the whole group. Floyd and JD aren't too surprised they've been around the block before, and have a basic gest of the other tribes. Bruce is in the same boat as a few Techno trolls have washed up on Vacay island. However none of them had seen rock trolls in person and their dulled nature are a little disturbing, considering what dulled means for Pop trolls. Clay and Viva are paying rapid attention to the rock trolls on screen, because considering the environment their people live in these guys know how to survive and protect themselves. The Snackpack has mixed reactions, Cooper wonders if theirs another tribe that looks like him, Poppy just wants to help these guys find happiness cause they are way to serious in her opinion, Creek calls them brutes (impressing no one), while the rest of the pack are either confused/fearful/curious. Branch is just awed, this troll, the rock king no less, on screen took his other version and saved him. Not only pull him from the water but take this trolling stranger into his home and raised on-screen Branch as his own. It's made veery clear that the pop and rock tribes do not get along, and yet this king was willing to risk his power and reputation to care for Char, King Peppy never kept Branch for more then two days until shipping him off to the next foster family. He even seemed mad on Char's behalf, something Branch had never thought anyone would do. The amnesia is something that hurts Brozone, learning that in one world there brother forgot about them. Branch is a little envious of Char, after all losing his memories was pretty starting a new life with a clean slate. Sure he watches Char struggle, but he also watches Char thrive, regaining his color, learning to love music again, making friends, having a family behind him, heck even getting Poppy for a love interest. Sure, it's an arranged marriage between the tribes, and makes the theater very awkward, but there's a clear connection between the two of them. By the end of the whole first movie all the snackpack (minus Creek) and Bruce are shipping Poppy/Char (Choppy? We should call them Choppy), and they get pissed when John Dory on screen interrupts their wedding.

For FOF, it's more of confusing reaction since this could still be their actual future.

Branch makes notes to look out for Keith, cause just in case there might be a trolling who's a little weird ending up in the foster system after losing his dad and he doesn't want that to happen. Kid seems sweet and not that judging. As the au goes on, Branch feels all sort of embarrassment, from them witnessing his panic attacks and how they called him cute for the more wholesome reactions when it comes to Keith. When the whole wolf incident comes on screen, Poppy ask Branch if he would really do that for the village, and everyone is shocked when he nods. Creek tries to say the the forest is over dramatizes in this and that the critters aren't that cruel in real life, Branch just rolls his eyes only to hear John Dory come to his defense, as a survivalist himself he had to deal with predators, and everything on screen is necessary. FOF Branch is a lot harsher on his brothers and the interactions on screen are a lot more charged. Branch isn't sure how he feels about this counterpart. There's a feeling of justice at watchin his brothers get what's coming to them, but it also hurts that he's hurting them. He doesn't hold the same anger that FOF feels. Smidge kind of wants to meet her FOF counterpart, someone who uses her strength to save others, she's down for it. And Asks Branch if he could set up something like that in there world or at least train her, to help him in the forest. Branch is confused by that. Creek completely denies that he would betray everyone, but strangely Branch doesn't believe him. FOF Branch's wounds are scary to think about for everyone but Branch forces himself not to react. Broppy makes once more everyone uncomfortable, Branch feeling awkward, Bruce teasing, Poppy blushing, Creek giving the grey troll the stick eye. It's harder to different Canon from AU with FOF since Char is less Branch like.

There's just so much that could happen that i can't fit it into one post, but if anyone wants to make one to these they have my full permission. Though that might want to wait until the final product is finished.

[licncourt]

after ur louis post, do you have any headcanons about lestat’s brothers/teen lestat and his childhood in general

Yes, of course!!

The most important thing to remember about Lestat is that he's an annoying theater kid so he's the easiest target imaginable for his macho older brothers. However the theater kid energy is also what protects him psychologically because as a rule they are immune to shame.

He really wants to hold his own against his brothers but is just. Kind of a string bean. He picks fights to try to prove himself and loses them every time. Gabrielle feels bad for her failson though so she teaches him to bite and go for the eyes and the balls eventually. That ups his average slightly.

In general, he thinks his older brothers are brutish hillbillies (like the Marquis) and looks up to his mother much more. He takes after her the most in his desire to be worldly and expand his horizons behind their small, dull world. His father and brothers would rather be the undisputed masters of what they have.

He also looks a lot like Gabrielle as a teenager, before finishing puberty fully. Even after, he looks the most like her out of his siblings and is happy about it. He thinks it makes him look more aristocratic and less boorish.

He's trying really hard to get laid but it doesn't super work. That's extra embarrassing because he's bi so getting rejected double. Every once in a while he wins someone over with his puppy-that-hasn't-grown-into-its-paws-yet charm and fluffy hair.

Even though he's not the most athletic of his brothers, he's the hardest worker because he feels like he has the most the prove to their father. What he lacks in brute strength he makes up for with ingenuity and the all-consuming desire for parental approval.

When Gabrielle felt like allowing it (she wasn't actively avoiding him), he was his mother's shadow. He follows her around as much as he can, trying to mimic the poise and cultured air she had left over from her upbringing. The memory of watching her do her makeup is how he learned to do his own so quickly in the theater and her old gowns from Italy gave him his passion for beautiful clothes. He always appreciated them more than she did.

He's completely devoted to his dogs. They're his closest friends and confidantes, something that loves him unconditionally. He hunts extra game if he can to feed them as well as he feeds himself and spends his spare time whittling them toys out of branches or making them out of fabric scraps and straw.

Singing always came naturally to him and that was the only thing he liked about religion, the hymns he learned. He'd make up his own songs too. He couldn't read or write, so it was easier to make poems and remember them if he sang it.

If he can sneak away during the afternoons, he liked to find a certain wealthy house in the village where the sons always took their lessons near the open window on pleasant days. He'd noticed it once passing by and returned whenever he could to eavesdrop. He couldn't write anything down, but being illiterate gave him a good memory. Those bits and pieces of education were what kept him going sometimes, a reminder of the bigger, wider world.

[wolfxplush]

........u wouldnt happen to do oc x cannon would u........

because im in need of ted x emery..........

she is so not normal when it comes to ted and i cant explain

Oh you know I do!! Here you go!!!

Emery and Ted Thompson Dating Headcanons:

- Ted is drawn to Emery’s intelligence, finding her sharpness refreshing compared to the typical attention he gets. He loves the challenge of being with someone who isn't afraid to speak her mind. Plus what kind of girl would say no to him?

-Emery is. He found the jock annoying and pushy. A waste of a brain who slobbers over girls in skirts like a hound dog with a bone steak. She was pushed to the edge far too many times but the brute. His persistent courting attempts left her broken down, she eventually said yes to ONE date.

•Their conversations often turn into heated debates, and while Emery’s temper flares easily, Ted finds it amusing. Sometimes, he purposely says dumb things just to watch her get frustrated.

- After a big argument, they tend to cool off in their own ways, but it rarely takes long for one of them to send a half-hearted apology text, which leads to awkward but sincere makeup moments.

•Emery hates being around Ted’s jock friends, finding their constant jokes annoying, and she’s not afraid to snap at them. Ted finds her reactions hilarious, but sometimes he has to mediate when things get too tense.

- Ted tries to attend Emery’s study groups or more intellectual hangouts, but he often gets bored or makes an inappropriate joke, or picks on one of the other fucking lose- Nerds. Emery is quick to put him in his place with a swift and strong kick to the dull headed jocks shin to shut him up.

•Ted is possessive in a way that isn’t too overbearing, but he makes sure people know Emery is his girl. He’ll throw an arm around her shoulders or pull her into a kiss when someone talks with her, even if she’s the one brushing it off.

- Emery is prone to overthinking and can get jealous, especially when girls are openly flirting with Ted. Her snapping at him after these incidents usually leads to a tense but passionate argument, which Ted often defuses with humor.

•Ted shows up to support Emery during academic competitions or when she’s particularly stressed about exams, even if he doesn’t fully understand the importance. His presence, while sometimes irritating, oddly comforts her.

-Emery helps Ted study when his grades are slipping, but she’s not exactly patient about it. Ted thrives on her tough love, though, and finds her bossiness during study sessions oddly attractive.

•In public, they maintain a bit of a push-pull dynamic, with Emery acting exasperated by Ted’s more laid-back, carefree attitude. But when they’re alone, they’re more vulnerable with each other, though Emery still struggles to fully relax.

- Ted loves seeing the softer side of Emery that comes out only in private, like when she’s curled up reading or letting herself unwind after a particularly stressful day.

•Their arguments can sometimes get a bit toxic, with Emery’s temper causing her to say things she doesn’t mean and Ted shutting down emotionally. They both have a tendency to be stubborn and not talk things through right away.

- However, they never let fights drag on too long. Ted has a way of pulling Emery out of her spiraling thoughts, usually with humor or a simple, genuine apology. Emery, in turn, knows how to push Ted to be more honest with his feelings, even if it’s through gritted teeth.

•Ted loves surprising Emery with little acts of affection, like bringing her favorite snacks when she’s studying late or carrying her books despite her protests. She pretends to be annoyed but secretly loves it.

- Emery, despite her constant irritation, has a soft spot for Ted when he shows his vulnerable side. If he ever feels down about something, she drops her tough exterior and is surprisingly nurturing, though she always downplays it later.

(God I hate gay people /j /j get a room.)

[southernbluebellereader]

Apple Slices

Captain John Price x Young Female Reader (COD MW(2))

| Part 1: Bruised Apple | Part 2: Current Fic | Part 3: Apple Pie

Warning: Platonic, going on slightly romantic, Angst, Facial Scars, [Mention of Violence], [Trauma]

Summary: Our Captain finds it hard to keep his presence away from Y/N.

A/N: It's not quite where I want it to be but I will write a part 3 eventually

Word Count: ~1,814 words

Master List

(tag list at the bottom)

At this point: where Captain Price, Y/N L/N was close behind. Where Y/N L/N was, Captain Price was close enough with crossed arms, keeping an eye on her. They were inseparable.

“Where’s your mini-me?” Laswell chuckled. Price looked over at Laswell and nodded in the direction of the ladies’ room, “Be right back.”

“How is she?”

“She’s doin’ just fine. Stubborn little woman, but she’s done some good.”

“I told you that you’d like her.”

They watched Y/N come out of the ladies’ room and reunited with Soap and Ghost trying to teach her how to play pool. She scratched her head at the way they tried to give her directions, making her even more confused.

“She can kill terrorists in three keystrokes but she can’t figure out how to play pool, that’s Y/N alright,” Price chuckled as he took another sip of his drink, looking back at Laswell.

“Eh, she’ll figure it out. Always have.” Making contact with Price, she lowered her voice, “She tells you what happened?”

“Her bastard Uncle.”

“She tell you he’s been rotting in jail since it happened?”

“No.” A slight relief. But not enough.

Laswell looked back at Y/N once more, seeing her giggle and smile, “You’ve certainly made a difference. I could barely make her crack a smile when she worked with me.”

“She liked green apples.”

—

“Do you eat anything else?”

“Sometimes.” Y/N cut up her green apple and gave the Captain half of it. “An apple a day keeps a doctor away, John. Maybe it’ll keep you from getting hurt.” They sat under the shade as they watched Soap and Simon grapple each other under the sun, John waiting patiently to grapple against the winner.

Mumbling something incoherent, he took the apple half and started to eat it, “I don’t need a doctor.”

Y/N looked up at him. She didn’t know if he was serious or not. She scoffed and shook her head, “Whatever you say, RoboCop.” Y/N looked back at Simon and Soap. The Captain looked down at her, he didn’t know if he should laugh or be offended.

—

However, there were days that Y/N didn’t feel so happy. On the day that she was attacked, she typically went home and stayed home. But she wasn’t home. She was on the other side of the planet. But it didn’t make a difference in how she felt, despite it happening several years ago.

It’s as if she could feel the pain in her face and the weight of a brute of a man on top of her body all over again, unable to move as the dull knife was pressed against the corners of her mouth, blood gushing into it.

“I need to take next Saturday off.”

“Why?”

“Because I need to.”

Price looked up at Y/N from his desk. Her eyes were dark.

“It’s not your birthday is it?”

“That’s two months from now.”

“Why do you need the day off, Y/N?”

“That’s the day.”

Every year on that day, since that day, Y/N never left her room - wherever she was. She kept water bottles and enough food on her person to keep her fed and hydrated until the next day. She didn’t want to be caught using the wrong knife.

—

“Where’s L/N?”

“Don’t worry about her.” Price looked at Simon sternly. They were getting ready for a debriefing after coming back from a mission. Worry bubbling in the back of his head, “But-”

“I’ll catch her up later,” Price remained tense the rest of the meeting. Nothing too out of the ordinary, but this was different.

—

“Y/N, it’s John,” Price’s voice was low and soft outside the door. He heard rustling inside her room, then silence. 

He heard his name - barely a whisper. His chest tightened as he put his hand on the door handle.

“Y/N, can I come in?”

He heard more rustling, then more silence.

“Y/N, I’m coming in.” Swallowing hard, Price opened the door. The room was dark and barely lit by the moonlight spilling from the small window. The room was a mess. Furniture was moved, a chair was tipped over, and things were on the floor. Y/N’s heavy breathing from the corner of the room gave her away. Treading carefully, he held his hands up.

She looked exhausted. She was slumped on the floor in the corner of the room. Her skin felt warm, cold, and clammy. Her face lay in her hands, drenched in tears.

He stopped in the middle of the room and crouched down, barely whispering, “Y/N?”

Y/N rubbed her face with her hands, wiping the excess tears, then looked up at John. His heart fell to his stomach and his chest felt as if it was about to cave in. More tears threatened to spill from her eyes, but they were met with hushes.

“Shh, it’s ok, I got you, Y/N." Price sat down and scooted forward so that she was situated between his legs. She was trembling. He held his hands out, reaching out for hers. “I got you.”

Y/N hesitated slightly, unable to back up any further, keeping her eye contact with Price.

Price kept his arms and hands open but lowered them so that they rested on his knees. He just wanted to hold her and never let her go. He never wanted her to feel like this again. He didn’t care that the man who did this to her was in jail, he wanted to kill him himself.

“He’s not here, Y/N. He’s locked away with the key thrown away. He can’t touch y-”

“Then why is he still in my head? Why do I still feel knife?”

Price couldn’t help himself and pulled Y/N closer to his body. One arm lay across her back and the other rubbed his other hand over the back of her head. Y/N rested her forehead against his chest, her tears staining his shirt. Her silent sobs became louder, making Price hold her closer, rocking her gently side to side.

“You’re safe, lass. You ain’t never seeing him ever again. I got you.”

—

Price remained in her room for the remainder of the night in Y/N’s room. He moved some of the furniture back and cleared the floor. He took her flipped-over desk chair and placed it against the wall at the foot of her bed.

“...What are you doing?” Y/N’s voice was barely a whisper from under her covers.

“I’m staying here tonight.”

“But won’t you be uncomfortable?”

“I’ve slept in more uncomfortable positions, Y/N. Now get to bed.”

“But-”

“Y/N. Please. You need sleep.”

—-

The morning after, John woke up shortly before dawn, silently stretching his aching neck. Damn chair. Looking over at Y/N, he smiled gently. She looked so peaceful when she slept. He glanced over at the time and silently crouched down beside Y/N, just watching her sleep. 6:32 AM.

Her steady breathing, a lock of hair that lay across of face, and one of her hands resting by her face made her look angelic.

“Why do I still feel the knife, John? I still feel it.” She kept repeating between sobs a mere few hours before, holding her hands to her face. God, he wished this never happened to her. But would he have met her otherwise? Would he have a new appreciation for green apples?

He was happy that she joined. She brought a certain liveliness to their surroundings. She even made Simon laugh a few times - he didn’t think he could laugh. But just like him and just like the rest of the team, she knew how to hide her feelings and hide her trauma - maybe a little too much.

But - ever since he laid eyes on her, there was a growing urge in his chest to keep her close. To keep an eye on her, to protect her, as she protected him while he was on missions. Y/N certainly made a difference as she served a pair of watchful eyes, relaying useful information he never knew he would need before a mission, weakening enemies quicker and more swiftly than if they went the normal route. He didn’t understand half of the software and programs she used, but they worked. He trusted that she’d keep him safe.

“John…?” Y/N’s groggy barely came out as a whisper. She blinked her eyes a few times as she groaned and stretched her body slightly. When she realized her Captain was sitting so close to her, her face blushed, and she pulled up the covers over the lower half of her face.

Smiling gently, John lifted his hand and moved the lock of hair away from her face, “Can I see you, please?”

Still blushing, Y/N moved the blanket down, revealing her face. Both of them stayed silent as the Captain gently cupped her face, stroking his thumb over her cheek, feeling the small indentation of her scar, “Ye alright, Y//N?”

“Yeah, I’ll be okay, John,” Y/N turned her face slightly towards his face, feeling more of his calloused and rough palms and fingers on her face.

“Don’t worry about the briefings today, yeah? I’ll fill you in later.”

“Bu-”

“You need more rest, that’s an order,” John chuckled, “I’ll see you in a little bit.”

—

The Captain hated himself for feeling for Y/N the way he did. He didn’t want to let her out of his sight. He can’t. He shouldn’t. But he does. The way she’ll always have a green apple and a fruit knife, and silently cut one of them in half and give one half to him. The way she’ll call him ‘RoboCop’ whenever he tries to complain or minimize his injuries. The way she’ll tell him “Godspeed” through her headsted before they begin every mission. The way she’ll constantly follow closely behind him to assess damage to some of their electrical and tech gear, assess how he and the team should approach a mission, and the way she double and triple checks all their gear before they leave.

The way she’ll spend an extra moment making sure her Captain’s gear is set right and runs smoothly, and say “Don’t go breaking my things, ya hear?”

“I’d put you out of a job if I didn’t, Y/N,” He’d answer back.

“Yeah yeah, just come back, alright?”

“Didn’t know you liked me that much, L/N.”

“A girl can only eat so many apples by herself, Captain.”

“Is that so, L/N?”

Y/N smiled and took a hold of his wrist and calibrated the little computer attached to his wrist, “How about I treat you to some apple pie when you get back?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TAG LIST

@ateliefloresdaprimavera @galagcica @sweetybuzz25 @wisedinosaurpolice @itsasecrets-things @ronbon @lieutenantlashfaz @piper570 @shuttlelauncher81 @thanksbutno98

[ohsalome]

How Russia is using the fossil fuel propaganda playbook to win the war

Climate war and Russia

Climate change is one of the biggest threats to humanity and life on Earth, but the fossil fuel industry has managed to block or delay the much-needed political action for decades. Michael Mann, one of the world’s leading climate scientists, has done a lot to untangle and categorize the various propaganda tactics used by the fossil fuel lobby. He refers to this joint propaganda effort as “climate war.”

Russia – a petrostate and the main beneficiary of carbon-based economy – is one of the main fossil fuel propaganda architects. Unsurprisingly, Russia now uses the same propaganda template to weaken global support for Ukraine and win the war.

And no, I’m not talking about all the wild state TV talk shows where people actively call for genocide against Ukraine, cheer for nuclear war, and portray Putin as their supreme leader. I’m talking about much subtler and smarter tactics and channels aimed at the rest of the world with one goal in mind: to help Russia win the war in Ukraine.

So let’s look closer at this similarity and learn how to spot Russia’s propaganda machine using the concepts from Michael Mann’s The New Climate War book.

Inactivism

Fossil fuel lobbyists realize they don’t need to convince people they are right. No, they just need to do enough to prevent people from fighting for green reforms. That’s why the main goal of fossil fuel propaganda now is to spread “inactivism” – the lack of meaningful action about climate change.

Russia’s propaganda regarding Ukraine also boils down to one goal: to stop or delay international support for Ukraine, especially military support. Russia doesn’t need to “win” the informational war – it doesn’t need to convince everybody that the invasion of Ukraine is a righteous thing. All it needs is just some “inactivism” from the rest of the world.

If other countries stop or just slow down their support of Ukraine, Russia will eventually win the war by brute force and larger ammunition stockpiles.

Denialism

Climate change denialism is the idea that climate crisis isn’t happening or that the change isn’t caused by human activity. Denialism isn’t used as widely now, but it had been the main fossil fuel propaganda tactic prior to the 2010s.

Today, Russia keeps denying everything. It denied it was planning to invade Ukraine, it denied it was waging a war while it was invading Ukraine. Russia also denies it has committed war crimes and atrocities in Bucha, Izium, Mariupol, and elsewhere in Ukraine.

Denialism is dull and easily refutable, but it works well for already sympathizing audiences and conspiracy theorists. That’s why there are people who think the Buch massacre was staged by Ukraine.

Whataboutism

Don Draper of the Mad Men TV series once said, “If you don’t like what’s being said, change the conversation.” And that’s exactly what the fossil fuel lobby (Russia included) has been doing.

When scientists and activists called for a massive reduction of global carbon output, the fossil fuel industry invented the “personal carbon footprint” nonsense that blamed the consumer choices of ordinary people for the climate crisis. This tactic isn’t aimed at winning an argument – it is designed to create enough noise and confusion to block any meaningful public discussion and thus political action.

Russia is doing the same thing with Ukraine. When it gets blamed for illegally invading Ukraine in the first place, Russia and its trolls bring up all the wars waged by the US or spin the “Ukraine is Nazi” nonsense. They don’t need people to think Russia is right – they just need them to think everybody else is not right either.

By drowning the discussion in endless “but what about” arguments, Russia tries to prevent the public from focusing on important things. That is, Russia illegally invaded a sovereign state for the sake of territorial conquest, and it needs to get out of Ukraine for the war to stop.

Doomism

In climate change advocacy, “doomism” is the idea that humanity can no longer hope to solve the issue of climate change, so it needs to adapt to the new reality. While “doomism” is rooted in a very real sentiment – the feeling that humanity is failing to decarbonize its economy at the needed pace – it benefits the fossil fuel interests in the end.

Why? Well, if it’s too late to save ourselves, why bother demanding change? Why put in all your energy to try to fix the unfixable? The fossil fuel industry has long realized that fatalism leads to passivity and disengagement. Hence, they can keep doing business as usual.

The most dangerous thing about doomism is that it poisons well-meaning people by turning them into “inactivists.” Just like when American writer Jonathan Franzen wrote an opinion piece claiming that “The climate apocalypse is coming. To prepare for it, we need to admit that we can’t prevent it.” This article was later dubbed “the most brilliantly unintentional fossil fuel industry propaganda” because, while being a cry of a concerned person, it actually harmed the cause of climate activism.

So who are the doomists of the Russo-Ukrainian war? The people who, prior to February 24, said there was no point in arming Ukraine because if Russia decided to invade, Ukraine wouldn’t stand any chance anyway. These “experts” then said: “Okay, Ukraine defended well, but there’s no way it can actually retake the occupied lands from Russia.” Now, these voices are saying Ukraine won’t win the war against Russia no matter how many weapons it receives from its allies.

Most of these arguments lead to one conclusion: it’s impossible for Ukraine to win, so we shouldn’t waste our time and money supporting it – let’s just strike some kind of deal with Russia. Of course, none of these voices address the fact that such a deal would reward Russia’s invasion and wouldn’t bring lasting peace to Eastern Europe.

Needless to say, this mindset directly benefits Russia as it promotes inaction in the face of an obviously criminal invasion of a sovereign country. Buckle up, the voices of doomism will get louder as the war grinds on.

Division

Sowing division among your opponents is an old-school political move, but it still works.

Instead of jointly demanding systemic change (the fastest possible decarbonization of our economy), people are dragged into endless culture wars, like shaming people for traveling by plane. The fossil fuel industry is pouring a lot of resources to spread conflicting narratives and make people fight among each other instead of uniting against their common enemy.

Russia also uses this tactic against Ukraine by promoting multiple narratives at once. Depending on the audience, Russia brands itself as the ultimate global fighter against Western colonialism, as the bastion of traditional family and Christianity, and as the enemy of global elites. That way, it is trying to disrupt the unity of Ukraine’s allies and prevent joint global action.

As Timothy Snyder said: “If you don't like gay people, they tell you the Ukrainians are all gay. If you don't like Nazis, they tell you they're all Nazis. If you do like Nazis, they tell you that they're all Jews.”

The non-solution solution

Finally, one of the newer propaganda tactics is the promotion of “non-solution solutions.”

According to Michael Mann, “The inactivists have sought to hijack actual climate progress by promoting “solutions” (natural gas, carbon capture, geoengineering) that aren’t solutions at all.”

There is a clear scientific consensus on what should be done to solve the climate crisis: abandon fossil fuels and turn to renewables ASAP. Instead, the fossil fuel lobby pushes numerous questionable alternative ideas for solving the crisis, thus slowing down the implementation of real solutions and meaningful political action.

Russia, too, is trying to hijack meaningful international anti-war effort by promoting scenarios that won’t actually solve anything. Right now, the only real way to actually save innocent lives in Ukraine and end the war is to arm Ukraine sufficiently so it can push the Russians out of its internationally recognized territory. Everything else is just a distraction at this point.

Negotiations are pointless when Russia is still aiming to exterminate the Ukrainian nation and destroy its statehood. Limiting military help to Ukraine “to not escalate the conflict” will only increase the chances of Russia’s military success. Focusing on humanitarian help will not help save human lives and liberate Ukrainians trapped under Russian occupation.

Russia will try to use different channels and “useful idiots” to promote various non-solution solutions, as all of them ultimately benefit Russia.

Let’s focus on meaningful action: for the world and for Ukraine

Fossil fuel propaganda is so similar to Russian propaganda for a reason: Russia is one of the main architects of fossil fuel disinformation. Right now, both interest groups are using these various methods to cement the status quo and prevent our fight for justice. Let’s make sure they fail.

People around the world deserve a future. Life on Earth deserves to be protected. Ukrainians deserve to live in peace. Ukraine deserves justice.

source: Ukraine Explainers on Patreon

[hoodedchishiya]

♥️♠️♦️♣️ ♥️♠️♦️♣️ ♥️♠️♦️♣️ ♥️♠️♦️♣️ ♥️♠️♦️♣️

Another writing sample.

♥️♠️♦️♣️ ♥️♠️♦️♣️ ♥️♠️♦️♣️ ♥️♠️♦️♣️ ♥️♠️♦️♣️

‘Hey, can you hear me..?’

The faint echo of someone’s voice penetrating the peaceful silence along with what he presumed were their footsteps pacing toward him was enough to pull him back to reality. The sudden loss of consciousness had hit him like a train and Chishiya found himself disoriented as his eyes began to flicker open. The fluorescent lights up above sure didn’t help with the dull headache that had rudely make itself present, eliciting a disgruntled groan from the blond now that he was awake.

What the hell had happened? The last thing he remembered was running for his life and then.. nothing. Zilch. Nada.

Had someone hit him over the head? That would explain why he was on the ground at least. The brute force of whatever object had been launched at him had surely been impactful enough to knock him out cold; that much was evident given his current position. It came as to no surprise to him that when he’d eventually managed to manoeuvre his hand up to his head, he found that the left side of his cheek leading up to his temple was coated in something sticky. Blood, no doubt. And quite a fair amount of it too.

Perfect.

However, it wasn’t like he had the time to process the state of his current health, nor did he have time to pick himself up off the floor because before he could do as much as shift his gaze around to scan his surroundings for clues as to where he was, Chishiya was being hauled to his feet, the firm vice-like grip on his arm another painful reminder that he wasn’t alone.

His eyes hadn’t yet adjusted as quickly as his body had, vision still blurred from the aftermath of the attack. In fact, he could just about make out the silhouette of the person beside him as they dragged him around a corner in what seemed to be a futile attempt to hide them both. Who were they running from? The same person who had given him a nicely sized gash to the head?

But then it hit him— metaphorically this time, thank god. Ah, right.. they were in the Five of Spades game. Tag. The tagger had charged at him and he had fallen down a flight of stairs after attempting to tase the masked man, thus resulting in him hitting his head at the bottom. That made sense.

Another low groan bubbled up from the back of his throat while the pain continued to shoot through his head, piercing through his skull until it felt like a dagger had just been twisted into his brain. With his hand still clasped in place firmly over the aching laceration to prevent any more blood from seeping out, Chishiya slowly turned to face his.. saviour?

“What are you, my guardian angel..?” Despite his disoriented state, it seemed as though the smartass hadn’t quite been knocked out of him yet.

[echantedtoon]

Rules Of One's Soul Ch1 A Game Of Souls

Follow the story of the Duke of Puzzles as he tries to grasp the concept of soulmates. Simple right? Well, try having two soulmates, one crazier than crazy and the other too good for his own good. Well whomest knowest how this will turn out?

(WARNING!! PLEASE READ: Mentioning of past abuse in this story. Also Rouxls has a slight fear of touch, and anxiety attacks.)

What would you do if your job was to deal with a power hungry king who could snap at any moment? Quit? Haha! Only if thou wanted to end up in the dungeon or worse. But also that you were completly put in charge of something you had barely any knowlege of, forced to babysit a hyper mini king, and had to do whatever the king wanted at a moments notice any hour of any day. Oh! And this was all a 24/7 job. Congratulations. ......Being the duke was highly overrated but, nobility wasnt without sacrifice. Which was what he was ready to put up with when he agreed to first being the king's royal advisor. 

The king was always much of a brute, big, mean, and not afraid to show his displeasure for anything he didn't find to his liking. But at least the Queen always managed to calm him down-....Ah. Her highness- She was always such a caring and kind spirited lady. How she could possibly tolerate let alone love that big brute was a mystery in of itself, but then again he wasn't in any place to judge. Now was he? He was just the royal adviser(more like royal errand boy) to the king, but still he admired many things about her. Her courage, her endless kindness,....her beauty-...*ahem* Anyways, things were going well in thine kingdom for a while. Sure the constant nagging and intimidation of the king would get tiring but he was used to constant pressure from higher ranking people. The other three kings and queens were much more pleasent to be around, sometimes the neighboring Durrmee Royal family would visit. The Spades even eventually announced the coming of their soon to be child after a while...Huh. It seemed like everyone was starting to settle down it seems. 

Unfortuneatly nothing like this lasted forever-

Everything changed the day the knight came. The Queen disappeared. The king went mad! The former kings locked away, the neighboring kingdom attacked, the foutain appearing, and the king slowly descending into more....destruction. The poor prince. He didn't deserve any of this. Noone deserved any of this actually. It seemed madness spread to others as well. Not too long after the jester was caught trying to slay an innocent bystander and was locked within the safest cell constructed. Not too long after that the royal magician quit along with some of the other staff...or thrown in the already crowded cells. But it didn't make any difference to him. He just had to keep on smiling and agreeing for his own sake. 

Day after day. Smile n agree. Smile n Agree.....Hopefully nothing bad happened. 

But enough rambling about his past. You dear readers are here to read the tale of his future are you not? Well then. It all began with one scared rudinn on one rainy night-

The rain had been pretty aweful this season. It only lasted a week or two, but it was always pretty dull to watch. Luckily he had been given of paperwork by his majesty to last hours to keep him occupied! Isn't his majesty so consideret? ..*ahem* anyways- He was swamped with paperwork, which was why he jumped when a knock came from the large wooden door. He obviously flinched and looked at the door. After a few more moments of silence, a timid voice finally broke it:

"...Uh..Sir D-Duke," a male voice sounded muffled by the door, "C-C-Can I come in? W-We have a uh-....s-small problem."

The blue duke let out a small sigh of relief it wasn't who he intiatlly thought it was and gave a small smile. "Of courseth. Cometh in soilder."There was another pause, before the door creaked open and said rudinn soilder stuck their head in. The Duke smiled assuringly before waving his hand in a come in motion, to which the rudinn seemed comfortable enough to slither in on his command. "Noweth. What caneth I do for thou this-"...He paused before looking at the clock on the wall. Good golly is was already almost midnight. "...Night?"

The rudinn hesitated at first, wringing his hands together and shaking slightly. Even though Rouxls was a much better boss than the king was, he still had to report every progress TO the king and that's why most were nervous when it came to giving the daily reports. "W-Well Sir bossman. Sir. U-Um...I came t-to deliver the day's r-report?"

The duke stared at him. "Now? Tis nearly thine next day. Why hast thou come to deliver it so latest?"

The rudinn shrank more. "Well...T-That's the problem,Sir Puzzle man. Um....We're h-having a problem w-with one of the prisoners? " Rouxls's confusion must've reflected on his face because the rudinn winced. "It's the um....J-Jester, S-Sir."

"Oh..Him." The mad jester was always troublesome. Ever since his capture and imprisonment, he's always found new ways to scare the guards. Babbling about how the King was merely using them all as pawns like in a game, or howling about chaos or something. He never really recalled the jester much, purple jolly fellow, always getting into trouble. Ounce put green hair dye in his shampoo bottle as a prank-.....He'd never forget that, his hair was an ugly green for a month. The guards were pretty freaked out by him, but he didn't see the big deal as long as we was behind bars. "So what thou's problem?"

"Um.....H-He's acting....really strange tonight. L-Like..r-really freaky. And uh....No one w-wants to give him his food."

"Well, then thy answer tis simple really. Let him go hungry. Maybe that willst teaches him a lesson about his behavior."

The rudinn looked even more distressed if possible. ''Um...We kinda can't? The King's d-doing his w-w-weekly insp-p-pection tomorrow, Sir. A-And he gets r-really angry when I-it's not done."

Rouxls froze at those words. Weekly inspection...? oh no- HOW COULD HE HAVE FORGOTTEN?! Well- He has been swamped in paper work for the last few hours, so he guessed he could've forgotten,, but the king wouldn't take his excuse. His body began to shake lightly from the memories of the king's anger. Teeth bared, claws out, pain on his face- He immediately shook his head and looked back to the Rudinn with a stern face.

"W-Well getest someone down there and feed him something!"

"W-We can't."

"Why not?"

"N-No one wants to go down there, b-but we don't want to see the k-king mad either so..Um...W-We were hoping YOU would do it?"

They stared at each other, before Rouxls groaned and moved his eyes down to the mountain of paperwork that STILL needed to be finished before tomorrow. Too many things were always thrown at him weren't they? But...he was always used to bearing the brunt of the hard work, might as well go do it and get it over with. What could've been so hard about feeding one prisoner?

He sighed and reached a hand up to run through his white hair. "Fineth. Just..telleth me where I can findest this 'freaky'prisoner thou speakest of?"

***********************************************************************************************

DING!

The duke made an obvious flinch when he felt the elevator stopped and made the comical dinging noise. He certainly wasn't expecting the sudden darkness greeting him when the doors opened up, luckily there were torches along the side of the darkened staircase that lead down into...well, he guessed the cell, but this seemed a little extreme for one prisoner. Maybe a suitable punishment for the king- He shook his head and meekly leaned his head out a bit to peer past the darkness. He couldn't see anything except barely the stairs and what looked like bars maybe? But he didn't see or hear any evidence of anyone down there? Perhaps this Jevil person was sleeping? Made no difference to him. That just means it'll be easier for him. Taking a deep breath, he slowly stepped out of the elevator and onto the stairs. ..Nothing! Sighing, he straightened up his back and made his way down more confidently. There was nothing to worry about. Rudinns always worry too much anyways, getting him to do all the work when he already had so much to do. He muttered to himself irritatedly, nothing made him more irritated than being interrupted in the middle of work. This would take all night at this rate.

The poor duke failed to see the small shadow stirring in the darkness below, or the two small yellow dots that peeked out at him curiously. The yellow pupils blinked up at him from the dark, and a fanged smile slowly grew across his face. OH! A new visitor! Different from the usually rudinns or occasional hathy who usually just dropped his food off and left as quickly as they could, quite rude not to say hello. But THIS one-

The worm's biolumeniscent hair shone in the dark and sparkled as he walked down the stairs towards him, a scowl on his face. He muttered some things under his breath he couldn't quite make out, but that didn't ,matter to him. It'd been so long since he'd seen a new face, though he looked very familiar....Hey. Wasn't this person the prince's babysitter or something? Oh! Wait a second. It was the funny fellow called Kaard wasn't it. Yes. Rouxls kaard. Biggest stick in the mud other than the spade. He chuckled lightly remembering the many pranks he used to pull. Always had this serious aura around him. No fun that one. 

This was going to be fun! 

He held what looked like the usual mush of food he was given to eat, no doubt to deliver it like the rest, but the way he looked so done with life already- It was too hilarious! He finally let out a stream of high pitched giggles at the sight, just as the duke was bending over to set the tray down by the bars. Making the worm freeze and drop the tray the last few inches to the ground with a clatter. He stared directly into the cage where to his horror, two yellow pupils were staring only a few feet away. The two silently stared at each other until one spoke.

"Well, well. A new visitor, visitor to my little freedom!" The pupils blinked. The voice behind it sounded a little too pleased to be seeing him. "What brings you all the way down, down?"

The worm didn't say anything. So when the pupils suddenly sprinted at him, he yelped and slammed his eyes shut for cover. ….When nothing happened, he slowly reopened them, but he wished he hadn't. Because staring at him a feet or two from his face was the purple imp from his faint memories, but  he never remembered him being so terrifying! When he still didn't answer, the imp hummed.

"What's the matter, matter? I got your tongue, tongue silly man? BWAHAHA!"

"..duke.."

He paused. "Hmm. What was that?"

"I-I-..." The duke licked his lips nervously. A few sweat beads of slime ran down his obviously frightened looking face. "It's D-Duke to t-t-thou, P-Peasant."

The thing cooed. "Oh. I see you've obtained a title.Hehehe." Somehow he shifted his body to lay on his side in mid air, with his head in his hand. "A title is just that, that. A silly little thing to call yourself, yourself.~...But now that begs a question. What brings the duke, duke to my humble little freedom? Freedom."

The duke was still obviously still frozen with fear with his eyes wide as plates, but confusion still seeped it's way into him. Freedom? He calls being in a cell in the middle of the dark feet under ground for years free? He really was mad wasn't he? He really should get out of there soon, but the fact this crazy person was still staring at him like prey was quite unsettling- Wait. He asked something right? Why he was down there?

"I-I...T-Thou has scared m-mine workers into not giving thee substance...*ahem* W-With t-t-thine king checking p-p-progress tomorrow, I-I can't afford m-mistakes."

The floating man hummed and it finally accured to Rouxls that he was balancing on his tail. What oddity is he? "What would one little me, me do to anger such a man?"

…..Rouxls blinked. Certainly not the question he was expecting, but- "Art thou insane? Doth thee knowest what thine king w-w-will doth to mineself if thy rules are not followed accordingly?!"

The jester merely shrugged. "I haven't the faintest idea,idea. But life is too chaotic without the stress, stress of trying to follow all of HIS rules, rules. Now isn't it?"

"On thine contrary. I wouldst rather keepest mine head on mine shoulders than to risk displeasing his majesty. Following the rules is needed on a daily basis."

At that he let off more high pitched cackling. "After all these years, years he still has the pieces of his never ending cruelity, cruelity. *tch* And they say Im mad and foolish."

"Thoust tried to killeth thine king. Of courseth he woulst locks thee up like the traitor thou are!" The fear was slowly starting to be replaced with annoyance at the feind. "I have wasted enough of mine time here. "He slowly leaned back up to a standing position. Thou haseth thine food, perhaps you'd be wiser than to scareth off thine food supply. Or else starve to death."

His ears perked up. "Is that a threat I hear oh duke?~"

"Taketh it how thou wants to! Im nay afraid of a mad fool trapped behind bars of coldst steele."

"Is that so?" His eyes lit up with an unknown glee. ''Well, then how about a little numbers, numbers game?The rules are simple to play, play?~"

Rouxls gave him an even more annoyed look. He had important work to do and this fool wanted to play games. "Nay! I haveth no time for your idotic foolishness- EEEEE!"

A death grip had wrapped his wrist and attatched to it was the smiling lunatic with a gigantic grin, which only grew hearing the Duke's squeal and the way his confidence has easily been returned to fear.

"Oh, come now, Duke.~ It's simple really. All you have to do is run while I count how long your-"

Rouxls let out a squeak as a pulsation ripped through their bodies and simaltaniously pulled his hand away from the equally startled imp, who's tail pulled him back a few feet  and his eyes widened at the sudden feeling. Rouxls's soul thumped hard against his chest to the point he thought it was going to burst from his chest, then as suddenly as it came it left and his soul slowed down and his lungs heaved out. Rouxls stood there. Blinking. 

D-Did he...Did he just have a soul attack? B-B-But then, where was the pain? HE should've been flopping on the ground like a fish. Maybe an anxiety attack? Nay. Those never felt like electricity was surging through him. 

It must've been a giant zap of static cling. 

The two just stood there as the effects wore off and slowly looked at each other. Jevil was the first to move as he slowly looked down at his paw, his button eye spinning. He stared at his paw for a moment before closing it and giving Rouxls a wide eyes look. Rouxls could see the blue shape of his soul slightly from under his clothes as it faded away....Ok. Weird side affects for static cling.

"You?" The voice brought Rouxls back to Jevil as he blinked in confusion. 

"I-I..I what?"

Jevil didn't seem to notice he said anything and instead look back down at his hands in pure confusion. "I didn't think I'd ever see the day, day...and with someone so...opposite, opposite!" 

He turned back to the kaard with a newfound glee on his face. That spooked and confused him to no end. In one swift moment, the thing lunged at the bars and reached a clawed hand out. ROuxls obviously yelped and tried to back away but the clawed hand caught onto the front of his shirt. With a hard yank, the duke was slammed against the bars and once again a spike of absolute terror washed over him. Yellow eyes looked at him. What he didn't know was that Jevil was drinking in every detail of his face. He never noticed but the duke seemed to have dawned a few scars to his otherwise flawless features, must've been a fight or two. He surely was a fascinating one wasn't he? Oooh! He could feel his soul lighting up with this new found

"How marvelous, marvelous! A new player and game, game!" Genuine excitment rang through a genuine happy smile, though the terrified Rouxls didn't seem to notice. His soul beat against his check a mile a minute! He could burst from what he purseived as fear any second, not that jevil noticed. "Ehehehehe! So this is where it all begins, begins! "

He HAD to get out of there! He pulled his head back and got his arms up ready to shove this pest off himself- He froze. Something wet slid against the side of his cheek and he gave off a high pitched whine. His body shook lightly-

And then he thrashed uncontrollably. His brain having one goal. GET AWAY FROM HIM! Jevil was taken aback and loosened his grip on the blue man. The duke fell backwards and instantly began to shuffle back-

"Wha- Hey! Wait, wait!"

He didn't listen. Stumbling and desperately trying to breath, he ran back up the stairs towards the elevator and into it. The up button was spammed practically into nothing and the similar ding noise was heard as the doors slowly closed off the darkness. As the machine shifted as it slowly went up, the duke  collapsed against the side wall and slid down to the floor breathing heavily.

What the actually f*ck was that?!

…………………...……...……......……...……...…...…......………............…...…...…...…...…...…..................…...……......……...…...……………......………...…...…...

He shouldn't have done that. He shouldn't be doing ANY of this. What would one think if they knew that the King's appointed Duke of Puzzles, caretaker of the prince, and master of law and order would be feeling absolutely weak in the presence of an insolent clown?! NO! He wasn't weak! Rouxls Kaard was anything but weak. He was just....uh..a little unprepared for the absolute madness of the knave when they first encountered. Yes. That's it! Not even the great Duke of Puzzles could get all first impressions right. 

He wasn't sure of the strange feeling in his gut whenever his mind revolved around back to THAT night. The strength of those ghastly hands latching onto him and slamming him into the cold steel, near those sickly glowing eyes. The very thought of those things made him shudder and get a sick feeling in his stomach. In a way, he was more terrorfying than thy king. At least with him you could tell when the Spade was displeased in anyway, but there's no feeling behind a mad man's smile. So. The answer to recovery was to just avoid the place and do his best to push those thoughts deep down and try to distract himself.

And for a while. It actually worked.

He managed to busy himself by making an actual working piece of his work the king seemed pleased with. He called it, A Control Crown. Though it still could use some work as it only worked on more...um. Less smart beings of the realm. And the King's annoying worm(but much better company keeper) of a son had gotten himself into plenty of shenanigans the Duke had to fix or pull him out of. It had been maybe a few months since the incident and he rarely thought of any of that encounter. So all was well with the Duke of Puzzle. Thou the duke did experience a strange tugging or nagging feeling like he was missing something. Oh well. None of it mattered.

At least. Not until that night.

A storm had decided to make itself present that night much to the annoyance and fear of the guards. For it was tonight that the prisoner better who some had called Jevil -odd name if you asked him- once again decided now would be the right time to act up and strike fear into the poor guards in charge of the food supply to him. Which also meant none wanted to go down there. Which ultimately meant the duty would fall on the next upper person in charge.

.....Which meant it was up to him. To settle things. And go down there. With that THING!

He honestly almost threw up the mac and cheese Lancer and himself ate for lunch when he found out. But he was the Duke of Puzzles, appointed by the King himself. Law keeping was one of his best assets, which was why he was put in charge of these guards. So, with a heavy stomach and light head, he assured any listening he'd once again take care of the 'little worm' and put a stop to this all. Oh,if only he could have seen the familiar frozen grin plastered on his face at the moment. It only got worse when he stepped into the elevator and pushed the button to the unknown level.

Once the doors closed, the Duke let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and immediately reached to clutch at the tufts of shiny snow white hair on his head. 

"What the f*cketh have I done?!" He breathed between gasping breaths. He wasn't even sure how stupid he was at this point! Why didn't he just tell them to let the stupid prisoner go hungry just for tonight and not bother!? This was absolute madness. Like kicking a live bee nest to anger the pathetic insects-

Bing!

"HA!" The Duke let out a short high pitched squeak of fright from the doors reopening to reveal the beginnings of a staircase and darkness below. He hoped no one heard him. A high pitched series of laughter ruined that hope.

"Oh, how fun,fun! A Duke of no suit has come once again, again to seek what he thinks he rules over!" He flinched when he faintly saw two glowing pinpricks from down below. "How interesting, interesting.~ Have you come to finally play, play?~"

He stood there frozen at the sight of yellow eyes waiting for his answer. The feeling of that insolent's slimey tongue grazing his cheek and the feeling of complete helplessness came rushing back to him in a heart beat. Gathering what pride and dignity he had left, the Duke casually stood straight up and gave an annoyed look. He tried to invision himself talking to a rookie guard or Lancer whenever he had to explain something. He just had to remember. HE was the one in charge. Not some bumbling knave that couldn't even harm him from his prison all the way down below.

"I-It has cometh to mine attention that thou art scaring the very guards that feed you!" He shouted down and waited for a response. But none came. The eyes didn't even blink. So he nervously licked his lips and continued. "If thou wishes to keep getting proper treatment from them in the future then thou needs to follow the rules set in place."

Felling a little more confident. He decided to yell louder. He was in charge. Not him. He had no control over the situation. He made the rules.

"Thou art getting on mine nerves and I do not wish to heareth about thine useless chatters or antics! I haveth no time to deal with thee any longer! I have more important matters to deal with than the rambles of an absolute mad man!! So keepest thine voice down and cease your useless shenanigans at once!!"

His voice echoed throughout the silent prison as the yellow eyes continued their silent watching. Rouxls stared down at the lowlife a little longer before smiling. That was until the pinpricks disappeared as the crazy fool threw his head back in laughter at the stupid show he just witnessed. Rouxls felt his ears press to his sides and his stomach drop hard. This wasn't the reaction he had hoped. All too soon the eyes were back along with a mocking voice.

"What a shame! What a shame! Thinking he could order the only one free, free in the whole kingdom!~ How amusing!~ How fun!! FUN!!~" Rouxls didn't like the change in tone of the deranged jester's voice. It almost sounded intrigued. And that's what scared him most. "I never had so much fun,fun with another pawn before! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!! Tell me Rouxls Kaard. If you are in charge, charge then why are you too afraid to play this little game, game of yours?~ Hmm." 

The Duke didn't say anything at first. The heavy scent of fear consuming him and making his head spin.

"I.....I shan't need to e-explain myself to the likes of you! I prefer not to waste mine valuable time on dealing with your insolent empty words. Thou can pretend with thine mind games all thee wishes but Rouxls Kaard is nay fool!" He pointed a hand at him. " For you see, I have thought of the possibility of thou using these games to trickest me into coming in range of your dastardly grip! But I shan't be fooled again so easily! For by me staying far from thine's hold then thou shall not have a open point to strike! Who's winning who's game now if thou never even got a chance to make his first move?!"

"Yet, yet I'm not the one who's playing dirty.~ What fun is a game if one wins just because, because he cheats out of fear?~"

"Hark thee little knave!!" He bellowed in absolute anger like he just threw dirt on his new suit. "What rules are laid down is followed and I shan't listen to you any longer!" He turned back towards the entrance to the elevator with a huff.

The voice cooed in amusement. "BWAHAHA! A shame that the rules card is running like a defeated child,child at a game of checkers.~ My next visitor will be pleased, pleased to hear about the cowardly leader of a Duke that masters, masters over them!~"

He froze. Did he just-...? No. He couldn't have just....But he did! Taking a breath, the duke world around to face the yellow eyes with anger. 

"Thou insolent, foolish WORM!!" He bellowed at the top of his lungs. Making the jester laugh again as the duke began to march towards the stairs in complete anger that his authority would be tested by a common criminal. As he stomped his way down, he remembered to keep his distance with time when he reached the bottom. Now face to face with the clown behind the bars. Even with his limited vision, he could make out the jester's pleased smile on his face. "You DARE to threaten me with useless rumors of mine reputation?!"

"Hehehe. Not a threat and not, not a rumor.~ Just facts straight and simple.~ But now that you're her, here-" The bells on him errily chimed as he tilted his head. "I find you're more fun, fun to play with.~ Tell me, tell me. Did you figure out the game, game we started last visit?"

Rouxls huffed. "You mean that useless asult on mine person? BAH! I refused to even think about such things to do with the likes of thou, Jevil!"

A sudden spark seemed to light up in the jester as his attention became a bit more...focused.

"Ooh!~ So you learnt my name, name?~ BWAHAHA! Tell me, oh Duke of rules and puzzles. Have you any idea of what YOU have started with this game, game of ours you triggered? Are not the feelings and tugs at your very, very core not clues to this puzzle you can't seem to solve?~"

The duke gave the madman a confused look at the nonsense he was spouting out of his mouth. Was this a battle of wits or riddles? If so he won either way. He didn't intend on ever coming back or giving this creature any more of his precious time after this. What was the point if he never made sense anyhow?

"Was does thou even mean? This is nay puzzle! Tis a riddle of a mad fool that shan't ever be solved!"

"Hmm. Perhaps. Perhaps. But tell me this Duke, and tell me true. True." A hand stuck itself out of the bars to point at him, making him flinch. "Did you not have a feeling of need,need or incompletion when you first left this place, place!? Is it now gone?! Replaced with the need to prove yourself! To, to the very person you can never win or lose against in this corrupted. CORRUPTED EMPIRE YOU CALL HOME, HOME!!" 

It felt like the walls and darkness themselves were vibrating with the booming voice of the smaller floating man. Rouxls couldn't even bring himself to speak and Jevil's smile suddenly became knowing instead of amused.

"THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN REALLY PLAY A GAME!! GAME!! THAT MATCHES YOUR VERY OWN!! ROUXLS KAARD!! OUR FIRST MEETING, MEETING WAS NEVER OUR LAST!! THE VERY MOMENT WE MADE CONTACT, CONTACT IT SEALED US AND FATE INTERTWINED WITHIN MY FREEDOM, FREEDOM AND YOUR IMPRISONMENT!! THE BEING OF PERFECT ORDER AGAINST THE TRUE EMBODYMENT OF RAW CHAOS!! CHAOS!!"

The last word felt like a wave of sound hit him and sent the duke stumbling forward a few steps almost falling to his face before he looked up at the absolute monster clutching the bars in absolute raw horror.

"You....You're absolutely mad!!"

Jevil chuckled again. "Maybe that's true. Maybe I am insane. Insane. But I am truly the only free, free person....But you know. It's gotten rather boring,boring and dare I saw lonely in my little freedom. Duke of puzzles. I haven't really, really felt like anyone but my old friend Seam could begin to make me this amused, amused." Maybe his insanity was rubbing off onto Rouxls but he could've sworn he saw Jevil's smile slipping a little. "I will always regret happened between us, us. But, it seems fate has directed you towards me, hmm?"

"What?....I-I...I still haven't the faintest idea thou is sputtering out!"

"Heh. You still don't get, get it do you, Rouxls?" He gave a hum and might have sounded like a disapproved parent if he wasn't still smiling though me. "Interesting, interesting. Tell me. Do you know the concept of soulmates?~"

Silence.

The frozen duke stared at the floating creature inside the cage as his brain tried to process this. Yes. He knew what a soulmate was. What an absolutely stupid question. Everyone knows a soulmate is the one person in life you feel compelled towards. Like finally putting the final missing piece of a puzzle together-.....Wait.

Wait a minute.

The realization must've reflected in his eyes because Jevil's smile became more soft if that was even possible for a mad man. 

".....No...NO! Nononononononono! NO!!" He hands flew up to clutch his head. The floor felt like it was consuming him with how much his body fell forward to it's knees. "NO! NO! THOU TIS LYING!! MORE MIND GAMES!!" He shouted desperately at the jester who just smiled warmly back, like he was a dear old friend stopping by to grab a chat. His eyes searched for any indicators of mind games or a sick joke. "I...I can't anything to you but a toy for your amusement! Let alone thou's s-soul....IT"S NOT TRUE! I SHAN'T HEAR OF IT!! LIES!! ALL OF IT LIES-AH!!"

The same strength pressed him against the same bars. And the once proud duke whimpered like a dog when facing the same eyes from his nightmares.

"Naïve, naïve little duke." His voice was like he was trying to comfort a child and Rouxls let out a whimper when a clawed hand cupped his chin. His face was closer now. Why wasn't his body reacting!? He could feel the hot breath of the jester before he spoke next. "One cannot deny the rules, rules set down by fate now. Can you?~ We balance and do our dance, dance like chest pieces on a bourd. One never belonging to a suit, suit or getting the upper hand. But...we never lose, lose either.~"

The contact was warm, heated and made the duke feel a sudden rush of strange belonging filled with another stronger feeling of throwing up. Both feelings intensified when the crazy jester slightly loosened his grip on the frozen man's shoulder when something that felt strangely similar to a rope wrapped around his torso. Jevil didn't notice the white shiny liquid beginning to sting the duke's eyes or the sudden swing until something came impacting into his face. The force sending the smaller man a few feet away to the ground with a loud "OH!". Instantly when the contact was broken the duke threw himself back onto his rear and shuffled back towards the stairs. Gagging and clutching at his chest. Trying his dammed hardest not to give in to the urge to puke. A slight pain throbbed in his hand from where it struck the jester. 

He coughed and sputtered while taking gulps of air through his mouth to help control himself. A small silence went by before the duke shakily looked at the direction of the man who had once again violated his personal being. At first he thought he was imagining it through the tears or the rushed feelings spiked through him, but no. Jevil was standing there instead of floating. One hand clutching the bars while the other cupped the cheek he guess he must've hit. A look of pure shock on the jester's face. Of the ounce proud man now reduced to a shaking crying mess. 

Neither said anything for a moment before jevil spoke.

"You're....crying. Crying?" He blinked and removed the hand from his cheek to inspect it. Like the answers were written on his palm. "You...hit me, me?"

"WELL WHAT DID THOU EXPECT YOU GOD DAMMED FOOL!?!?" Both flinched at the sudden raged tone that seemed to rush out of him. Jevil more than him. But the angry feelings overtook any other rational thoughts. "DID THOU SERIOUSLY THINK UP THIS WHOLE CRAZY DELUSIONAL F-FANTASY OF ROMANCE TO GO ALONG WITH YOUR PATHETIC TRAGETY STORY LIKEST SOME SICK NOVEL WRITTEN BY A COMMONER!?!?" 

Jevil stared long and hard before an annoyed expression came over him. "Fantasy, fantasy?.....DELUSIONAL TO MY OWN FEELINGS!?" He growled and gripped the bars of his caged prison. "YOU DARE SIT THERE, THERE AND CALL ME, ME A FOOL FOR RECONGNIZING THE PLAIN TRUTH WHEN NO ONE ELSE DOES, DOES?!"

This time it was the duke's turn to give a dry laugh. "HA! YOU CALL WHAT JUST HAPPENED A TRUEST EVENT!? AND YOU ACTUALLY EXPECT ME TO BELIEVE THOU'S GESTURE LIKE A NORMAL DARKNER'S?!"

Jevil's face immediately dropped. Rouxls sat there as both heavily breathed from the events. Before the duke slowly stood up onto wobbly legs.

"E-Even...if I did think thou's affections were true, what reason would I have t-to accept or believe when the person who gives it is a prisoner? Seam was in his righteth mind to exit this madness when he did-"

A low growl directed him back to the now angry jester. Anger was a new expression for him but right now he didn't care. Rouxls felt sick, covered in sweaty slime and tears, and equally angry. 

''Don't bring Seam, Seam into this."

"Or what!? Thou'll attack me with more unwanted affection! This isn't exactly a splendid walk in the dungeon foreth me!"

The imp let out another growl before pointing another clawed hand at him. "You cannot, cannot tell me you can't feel-"

"I DON'T!!" The loud voice of the duke echoed throughout the entirety of the prison cell. Silencing anymore rambling from either end. "I tire of these useless antics a-and....AND I HAVETH ENOUGTH ON MINE PLATE AS TIS IS!!" He pointed a hand at him. "I SHAN'T EVER RETURN TO DEAL WITH THOU'S ANTICS AND I WILL NEVER SEE YOU AS MORE THAN THE ONE WHO TOILS WITH MINE EMOTIONS!! GOOD MORROW, WORM!!"

He turned and began stomping his way back up the stairs towards the open doors of the elevator. Ignoring the sudden expression on the imp's face.

"W-What?....ROUXLS!! You can't leave a game unfinished once you start to play, play!! It hasn't even finished!...R-Rouxls? Y-You can't forfit this game, game.....Not when I-...COME BACK, BACK!!"

He paid the creature no mind while he continued climbing up the stairs-...Which was a mistake.

An animalistic shriek pierced the air louder than anything he ever heard from the king. A shudder ran up his spine and only one thought shot through his head.

RUN!

He sprinted towards the exit up ahead. Almost tripping over his own two feet a couple times in his panicked haste to get out. Something whizzed by his head and embeaded itself into the wall above his form as more began whizzing past him. The animalistic screaming still present. One of the thing grazed his shoulder causing him to yelp in pain as a cut instantly formed. He ran into the elevator and practically spammed the up button as more of those sharp objects continued to fly around him. The doors slowly closed. Muffling the shrieking and little metallic thuds. Slowly, the elevator began to steadily rise leaving the noise behind him. 

Unable to withstand the wild roller coaster of emotions moving through him, Rouxls collapsed against the side of the elevator as it continued to rise. His body shook uncontrollably as he was finally able to take a look at the things that were flung at him.....Hearts. These things were all hearts. He choked. 

The once proud Duke of Puzzles reduced himself to a sobbing crying mess as the elevator continued to rise.

[daeificatio]

team hole

They walked for what felt like months, though it was probably only a couple days.He remembers sitting down with his teammates and deciding on who would take a couple rounds around the area to scout where their target was located, and the rest was just a blur. Eventually his focus returned to the matter at hand- he had a sword on his hand, one he doesn’t remember where it came from nor how he got it, but it was there. His companions all wore different clothing ranging from rags to robes.

It felt strange. Just like before, it felt like a dream almost. Byleth no longer had any perception of time and just found himself following the group and hoping that they were inching closer to where their captured companions were.

But then, they found themselves in a cave of sorts. It…wasn’t ideal, in his eyes. He thought they’d keep marching through the forest and eventually find either another city or the army holding their friends captive, not an underground system. There was also the matter of their…newest ‘companion’, Colla. While the guy seemed honest and disinterested in harming them, to the professor it still felt a bit too hard to fully trust him- and so he settled with simply tolerating the new addition to the group for the time being. 

Their travel was slow and careful, constantly keeping an eye out for potential ambushes or traps, though it didn’t take long until they crossed paths with one. A chamber with three stone gargoyles in one of the walls, their eyes made of scarlet gemstones…and nothing more aside from a pile of old bones sitting in the middle of the room. It was when Byleth stepped closer to the center that something shifted, both in his perception and Sothis’ own warning, and he managed to avoid getting struck by a falling spike by a hair’s width.

A close call, he thought to himself. He couldn’t afford to be careless now, there was still one student left under his wing and he had to stay alive to ensure her safety.

Inspecting the gargoyles didn’t lead to much until the teacher reached the third. At the bottom of its throat lined with…something grimey and disgusting, was a button that revealed their exit. Byleth wasn’t too happy with having had contact with whatever it was inside that gargoyle, but there was no time to bask in the wonders of a hissy fit. Not when after another long walk through dark halls, they managed to come across another room- though this one seemed much more harmless than the previous.

A wooden table in its middle, a shelf filled with documents, and a door at its back. It was almost too normal, too convenient and lived it. 

The professor looked through the papers, but nothing caught his eye- well, save for one note stashed in between. A scribble drawn on a napkin featuring a table and an arrow pointing to one of its legs with some strange letters of code alongside it. Indeed, as those of his team, particularly Ephidel, analyzed the table’s legs, a seal was spotted underneath one of them. Byleth lacked that level of sensibility towards magic, so all he could get from it was a weak buzz and nothing more.

Or well, maybe he lacked sensibility altogether.

He heard Sothis’ scolding before his hand even made contact with the piece of wood. The seal looked like it needed some force applied to it for it to react, but Byleth failed to consider that perhaps the ‘use of force’ was merely a gentle press, and not a full blown punch. A dull crack was heard and a sharp rush of pain was felt- broken. Definitely broken. Fuck. But it had been his fault, so the teacher didn’t complain and instead closed his eyes, took in a breath through his nose, and let himself have a short moment for the pain to stabilize.

Perhaps it was the stress of the situation keeping him on edge at all times that caused such brute reaction from him. Maybe he just wanted to get it damn over with, tired of the vague little puzzles and growing more impatient since every second spent there was lost with their companions still in the enemy’s grasp- but well, there was nothing else to do about it. He broke his hand on a table, it was his fault, moving on.

A hole opened before the back door- revealing a pit with spikes at its base. Definitely another trap, but…at least that one was easily avoidable. With Frederick’s height they were able to open the door safely and then simply jump over the hole to continue their path through darkness. Halls upon more halls, sometimes with multiple openings that right now they had no time to explore. The result of their latest path was another door, albeit one much different from the others they had come across so far. It was of a sturdy metal, its apparent lock a wheel that needed to be unlocked with a strange key and even then it was quite heavy. Sadly with a broken hand Byleth wasn’t of much use currently, settling with standing by and watching his companions trying to find out how to open it.

…though, their struggles would be only temporary, as the scenery around them shifted suddenly.

[rebelliousstories]

Searching For You

Continuation of: Kentucky Rain

Relationship: Elvis Presley/Austin! Elvis x Reader

Warnings: Angst with a happy ending, Fluff, Strong Language

Word Count: 3,597

Main Masterlist: Here

Elvis/Austin Butler Masterlist: Here

Summary: He found her. Elvis finally found her; now to get her home.

She was here. Right in front of him. He almost felt like he was dreaming. Her eyes lit up as she took him in. She quickly turned to the door and made sure no sound was near it. Once she had cleared the door, she came to the window. The window that Elvis was perched at. Her smile grew wide as she took in the small sliver of tan skin and black hair that belonged to her boyfriend. She tried to fit her fingers through the crack to touch him, but it wasn’t big enough. The most they could do was touch the very tips of their fingers together.

“Oh Elvis! I’m so happy you’re here. I was so worried and I..” her voice trailed off. She spoke so quietly that Elvis almost had to strain his ears to hear her.

“I-I-I know, baby. But come on. I gotta find a way t’ get you outta here. We’re leaving.” He spoke almost as quietly, determination in his voice. Her smile dropped and her eyes dulled. She pulled slightly away from the boards covering her window.

“I can’t leave E. Not this time. They’re making sure I ain’t gonna leave this place again.” She admitted sadly. Elvis was heartbroken at her words. But, no matter what, he made a promise to himself and his momma that she was coming home. He leaned away from the window, and looked around. His fingers could get just enough purchase on the boards to start yanking on them. Her face was turned down as she thought about the life she was going to miss out on.

They’d never be able to get married. With any luck, she’ll hopefully be married to someone who doesn’t hit her. But the man she’ll be arranged with will most certainly control ever aspect of her life. She’ll never be able to have kids with Elvis or grow old. She’ll never see Gladys again, or Dodger. She missed Vernon and everyone that lived and worked in Graceland. She wanted to be back there, making sandwiches in the kitchen with Elvis. Running around the yard, or laying in the back underneath the shade of trees with a book.

Just then she heard a rip tear through the air. She looked up startled, but she could see more of the outside. Elvis had started to tear the boards off the side of the house. Apparently brute strength sometimes wins. There was now just enough of a gap that she may be able to fit through with a bag. When Elvis flung the piece to the ground he poked his head in through the gap.

“Watcha waitin’ on darlin’? Let’s get the hell outta here!” He exclaimed quietly, trying not to alert the members of the house. She backed up and started running around the room. She was trying to find her bag so she could bring things with her but she couldn’t find it. The minutes were ticking away and Elvis was getting antsy.

“Don’t worry about bringin’ anythin’ doll. Let’s just go. I’ll getcha whatever the hell you want but we need to go before they wake up and find us.” Elvis was frantic. They were louder this time about escaping which added to the danger of being caught. She seemed to understand and eventually just focused on finding her shoes and jacket to get out. She only had her slippers and thin jacket but it would have to do. Elvis climbed down the ladder just a little bit and waited for her to follow him. Soon, one foot came out the gap, and landed on the ladder. She started squeezing her body through. The amount of weight she had lost being here had made it a bit easier to pass through the gap. As she started pulling her second foot through the gap, she heard them. They were on the other side of her door. The locks on the outside started jiggling as she hurriedly landed on the ladder. Elvis was waiting at the bottom for her.

She heard the door rust open and her family call her name. The nightgown she wore didn’t help her move any faster but she didn’t care. She finally was able to escape. Her mother poked her head through the gap and a rage filled yell frightened her still. She saw the anger in her eyes, and felt powerless against her. Vaguely, she heard Elvis call her name but she couldn’t move. It wasn’t until her mother’s head disappeared that she resumed her plans. She jumped the last few steps of the ladder, landing directly in Elvis’ arms. He set her down, grabbed her hand, and ran down the road. They only stopped briefly to grab his bag from the neighbors yard. Running like the devil was on their tail; they heard her family come out the front door, but they were already turning the street corner.

Cars started up and the headlights shown over the houses. Elvis had yet to let go of her hand, when he pulled her behind a tall and dense shrub. He pulled her into his chest and hid her from the outside. She was about to question him when she saw the headlights pass them. The fear was starting to grip her too tight. Blindly, she followed but it didn’t register to her.

They ran for a few more minutes before Elvis felt like they could stop. He was panting like a dog, but he couldn’t give up now. His girl was counting on him. He turned to her, but she had a look in her eyes. It was far off and removed from the world in front of her. Elvis dropped his bag, and grabbed her shoulder.

“Baby?” He asked gently. No response.

“Baby.” No response.

“Darlin’. I need you to look at me.” He pleaded. But still, no response. He shook her lightly, trying desperately to knock her out of this. When he still received nothing, he shook her harder. But she continued to stare straight through him. He sighed and looked down. He couldn’t lose her, not when he just got her back.

“I’m sorry baby.” He said before he reached up and tangled his hand in her hair. He yanked her head back and heard her gasp. When she pulled up, the cloud was gone from her eyes.

“Why’d you do that? That hurt.” She said, now rubbing the spot where he yanked from. He smiled and brought her in for a hug. They both felt the tension leave her body as soon as she was wrapped up in his arms.

“I’m sorry darlin’. I was worried ‘bout you. You weren’t respondin’.” Elvis pressed a kiss into her head. She nodded in understanding. He pulled away first, but kept her in his arms.

“Now, baby listen t’ me. Imma get you outta here. I promise you. I’m not gonna let you go back there. But if we’re gonna make it out, I need ya here with me. I need ya present. Can ya do that for me darlin’?” He asked, moving his hands to her face. He cradled her as she felt the tears come down. His thumbs traced her cheeks, wiping the droplets away. She was finally letting go of the fear of being caught and her body was going through so many changes so fast. Drastic emotions, or lack there of, was taking a toll on her. Elvis quickly caught her as she collapsed to the grass beneath their feet. He let her get everything out that she needed to. Once she had calmed down, she looked up at Elvis.

“I-I can do it baby. Le-let’s go-o.” They raised once again, and left. They kept walking, kept looking over their shoulder’s. But they made it through. Elvis could see familiar landmarks coming past them as he navigated his way to the nearest civilization that they could hitch a ride with. They passed the big oak tree that Elvis nearly crashed into on several occasions. They stopped for a moment at the blue church with the white door just to catch their breath. Once they were ready to go, Elvis lead the way to the general store. His watch beeped 2:30 AM, but they continued on. They were so close to freedom, so close. The lake looked calm and serine in the midnight moonlight, and Elvis was glad that he found the familiar landmark. He kept walking with her on his left closer to the lake to keep her out of the road. It was almost peaceful, had they not been on the run. She started slowing down, and eventually had to stop walking all together.

“Baby, I’m so tired. I can’t continue. Can we please stop? Just for a little bit?” She asked, shifting her weight quickly from one foot to the other to relieve herself of the pain. Elvis’ heart softened at his girl’s request. Who was he to deny her?

“Of course sugar. Let’s go to the gazebo nearby, yeah? We can rest there.” He offered. She nodded and took his hand once again. The gazebo was connected to a pier on the lake. It was a popular spot that she would come to when she was younger and really needed to get away from her folks. When she began dating Elvis, she took him here when he was still making the trip to Kentucky to come see her. Elvis helped her onto the path, and walked her into the gazebo. He unpacked his bag just a little bit to fish out another jacket. He sat down, and pulled her into his chest. His back was against a beam, but he made sure she was comfortable. Once they were settled, he draped the jacket over her. She snuggled into his chest, and it wasn’t but a few more minutes till he heard soft snores coming from her.

He felt his heart swell as he gazed down at his girl. Elvis shut his eyes for a moment to savor the feeling of having her back in his arms. He was brought into a memory of a night very similar to this.

“I just don’t get it. Why can’t they see that you’re music and they way you move is just how ya are? You ain’t hurtin’ no one.” She said, back pressed against Elvis. They were standing at the gazebo; their date night being prolonged as far as they could. Elvis stood behind her, caging her in with his arms resting on the banner that ran across the gazebo. His cologne had invaded her nose with him being this close, but she wasn’t complaining. The boy let out a deep sigh and simply shook his head.

“I don’t know baby, but the older ‘important’ folks are startin’ to notice me. The Colonel says that I need to calm it down on the wigglin’ but, if I can’t move, I can’t sing.” He admits quietly into her shoulder. She turned in his arms and places her hands on his cheeks. They stared into each other’s eyes, neither one wanting to break the moment.

“Elvis, you’re just letting the spirit of music move you. The spirit is God given, meanin’ that God wants you to feel music like that. There can’t be nothin’ wrong with it if it’s given to you by the King. Don’t let them big wigs change ya baby. I-I love ya. Just the way you are.” She concluded. Neither of them had said those words yet, but by God it made Elvis feel like he was floating on cloud nine to hear. His face broke out into a wide smile and he buried it into her neck. He pressed kisses all over her neck and she started to giggle. He pulled away, panting and smiling, with a blush running up his tanned skin.

“I love you so much baby. You always know just what to say to me.” His words took a minute to sink in, but once she recognized what he had said, she was in heaven. She grabbed the back of his head and smushed their faces back together. Nothing mattered to them in that moment. They existed in the love they felt for each other. Without breaking their lips, Elvis reached down and picked her up by the back of her thighs. She laughed against his lips, and there wasn’t a sweeter sound in the world. Her legs wrapped around his and everything was right with the world.

A crunching noise broke Elvis out of the memory. Sunrise was starting to hit him in the eyes. He hadn’t realized he fell asleep. The crunching noise was the sound of a car, more specifically a truck at the top of the embankment. Elvis looked down to see she hadn’t stirred yet, and he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. A blue uniform, a badge, and gun greeted his vision before he could even think about getting up.

“Son? Son you alright over there?” The officer asked as he approached the couple in the gazebo. The young man looked to the sleeping woman in his arms once more before waking her up. It hurt him to do so, but it needed to be done. She grumbled and moaned about being disturbed from her sleep. While she was busy getting conscious, Elvis waved to the officer. He maneuvered her so she could begin to stand, and the officer got closer. He was an older gentleman, with graying hair and a clean shaven face. He climbed down the hill towards the gazebo as Elvis stood up.

“You alright baby?” He asked her as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She nodded while she kept rubbing and leaned against the banister on the gazebo. Elvis noticed the officer on the boardwalk and stood in front of his girl. He reached out a hand to shake, and the office took it.

“How’re you doin’ today officer?” He asked politely, shielding his girl with his body just a little bit.

“Doin’ alrigh’ myself. How’re you kids doin’? Did a little too much partyin’ last nigh’?” The officer peaked his head around Elvis to see the girl behind him.

“Umm, somethin’ like that. Hey would ya mind givin’ us a ride into town? My car is at the shop there and it’s still a bit of a walk.” She had moved from the banister to tucked under Elvis’ arm as he held her close. The officer looked at the young couple skeptically, before he nodded and smiled.

“Course son. Let’s get ya love birds into town now.” And once again, they were off. Elvis held her close as they climbed up the hill again, and held her tight as they rode in the back of the paddy wagon. He started to notice familiar stretches of land in between the two towns and was getting excited at being so much closer to being home. The friendly officer made small talk with Elvis all the way, but she reminded quite. She hadn’t fully woken up but she just didn’t feel like talking.

Elvis thanked the officer for driving the two back into town once he dropped them off at the motel. He warned the young couple to not party so much late at night, and Elvis chuckled. Thankfully by the time they had made it back, the truck was fixed. His beloved old beat up truck was running brand new. He paid generously for the work and made sure to tip generously as well. He loaded her up into passenger seat, threw his bag in the back, before making his way to the driver’s seat.

The ride was quiet for the most part. It was probably going to end up taking most of the day to make it back to Graceland, but it was all worth it. Elvis felt his girl snuggled up with his arm secured in hers as a sort of security. Just to make sure he was really there. While Elvis didn’t want to open a fresh wound this early, he needed to know.

“Baby?” He asked quietly. She hummed back at him in acknowledgment. “How did they get you?”

She froze. Her grip tightened on Elvis’ arm, almost to the point of being uncomfortable. Her breathing started picking up, and Elvis knew that Graceland was going to have to wait. He pulled over to the side of the road and turned to the girl in the passenger seat. She didn’t want to remember what happened; she wanted it all to go away. He placed his hands on her face and made her stare him dead in the eye.

“Baby? Baby, I’m sorry but I need to know. I need to know how… how they stole you away from me. You’re car wasn’t there baby and neither was your suitcase. I thought you had left me for good. Please talk to me.” Her panic didn’t last long as the sadness creeped in. Depression hit her like a freight train at the thought that Elvis thought she willingly left him.

“No. No, no, no, no. I’m sorry baby. It’s my fault. I didn’t tell you cause I thought I was crazy and then it just all the sudden happened and I had no choice. I would never leave you.” Her tears and sobs choked her voice to were Elvis couldn’t understand her. He pulled her into his chest and let her sob. She sobbed for the pain and panic he must’ve gone through. She sobbed for the pain and panic she went through. The last week had been the most stressful week of her life, and she never fully processed it. They didn’t know how long they sat there, but it was however long was needed. Soon her full bodied, heart shattering sobs, made way for quieter, occasional tear filled sniffles. But he didn’t dare pull away. She needed the comfort more than he needed the story.

When she eventually did pull away, her face broke his heart. Her eyes were red and puffy, and filled with such a sadness he couldn’t comprehend. Her nose and cheeks were also red and puffy from all the crying. Snot was finally stopping from coming out of her nose as she wiped it with a napkin in the truck. But she was still the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen.

“Well, it started off small,” she began, “I would notice cars with people inside when I went dress shoppin’ or somethin’ like that. And then I’d move to the other store and the same car, and the same man would be inside. I saw a few different cars and a few different men but the pattern was the same. I thought it was a coincidence so I never mentioned anythin’. But then I noticed them amongst the people at the gates of Graceland, and then I saw one of the men peerin’ into the backyard when I was readin’. I assumed they were there for you. When I asked the police about it they said nothin’ could be done. Then that night that….” She trailed off, but Elvis refused to open his mouth. He simply rubbed her shoulder, comforting and encouraging her to go on.

“Well that night… I got woken up by the storm. But I didn’ wanna bother you so I quietly slipped out of bed to go downstairs to make some tea. And then a knock came to the door. I assumed that since it was late and in the rain, and it was the freakin’ front door it was someone we knew. But it was that man again. He grabbed me and put me to sleep. The next thing I knew I was back at that house. Apparently my folks hired a PI to find me.” She now rested comfortably against his chest. Elvis’ arms were caging her in but it didn’t feel restrictive. It felt safe, like nothing could get her while she was tuck away in his arms.

“Oh Elvis I really didn’t mean to cause you such a fright. I mean, it must’ve been hell waking up and finding me gone.” She kept apologizing but she did realize it wasn’t her fault right? Elvis gently pulled her up so he could look her in the eye. The eyes he loved so much and could never tire of seeing were permanently stuck on her hands. He delicately placed his hands on her cheeks and made her look up at him. Elvis’ face held a small, sympathetic smile.

“Doll, don’t you worry ‘bout that no more. I’m just glad to have my darlin’ home again. Now, how about we head home? I know momma is gonna be overjoyed to have you back.” She nodded and smiled big at the thought of going home. Back on the road, Elvis let his mind wander. He thought about the future they were going to have. What her wedding dress would look like, how beautiful she was going to look as a mother. He thought about what dog they might get or how they were gonna introduce their kids to the music they grew up on. He thought about how excited his mother was going to be to have both of her babies back home.

He made sure to remind himself when they got home to have security doubled around the perimeter and to have a talk with his lady about saying something is weird before it gets too bad.

[storiesundercandlelight]

Starcrossed Lovers

Ah thank you to @potato-dragons for letting me write this story idea! I hope it did it justice!!

I'm just silently waiting for someone to write a star-crossed lovers story of Silco being the usual crime lord of Zaun and a innocent/pure reader belonging to a powerful noble family in Piltover whoes being forced into an arranged marriage.

The two fall for one another and start a secret relationship after a single night together. When Silco hears that reader is going to be married soon he ""steals"" her away to prevent that from happening.

The lanes raced past you as you ran, your legs were moving at a brutal pace. You didn't stop, you couldn't. Piltover fell further and further into the distance, your heart racing, pounding as you pushed forward.

Eventually you came to a stop, your back hitting the cold brick of a wall as you leant back catching your breath. You took deep breaths trying frantically to bring your breathing back to normal before looking around. You had no idea where you were.

You had never crossed the bridge before, honestly you don't really know what it was that made you choose the path you did. When your parents told you of the arranged marriage all you saw was red. Fear of being locked into a loveless marriage with a man who only wanted you for the connection to your family. Even as an adult you had little to no say in the situation, it took everything in you to leave behind your home, you belongings, your life, but you knew you couldn't marry that man. You didn't even know his name.

You knew no one would think to look in the undercity for you, Piltover would be the first place they ransacked and by then you hoped you'd at least have a plan.

You felt your whole body tense at the sound of men's voices behind you. Looking around the corner slightly you spotted a small group of men, brutes by the looks of it huddled around listening to a man in a dark coat talking. You tried to focus on the man, there was a darkness around his eye you couldn't make out from where you stood.

"Hey!" Hands gripped your arms harshly and suddenly you were being pushed out from behind your wall.

"Let go of me!"

"Boss! We got a spy!" The group of men all turned towards you as the man behind you pushed you forward. You tried desperately to wriggle out of the man's grip but he had a brutal hold of you. The man in the dark coat watched you, it was now clear that the darkness you saw was in fact his eye, Silco. You weren't oblivious to the Eye of Zaun, but what could you do? Go back? Fight? You'd never win. He walked towards you, eyes never leaving you and he leaned down, face so close to yours you could feel his body heat.

"What do we have here? Trying to learn my secrets?"

"I'm not a spy" Your voice was quiet, your nerves flowing wild.

"No? Hmm" He started pacing now, circling you, your head turning to try and watch him as he walked back to face you. "You aren't from here"

You shook your head. "How does a girl from Piltover find herself here? Watching me and my men"

"I wasn't watching you...I was just..."

"Just?"

"I..." You couldn't find the words quick enough, finally the stress of running away, being cornered by undercity thugs caught up with you, your body felt numb and exhausted all at the same time. Your legs trembled, you struggled to keep yourself standing and you looked up at the man. "I can't go back" This seemed to surprise him, but his eyes narrowed again quickly, thoughts whirling as he tried to figure you out.

"Very well" He nodded to the man behind you who once again gripped your arms, not as hard this time and pushed you to follow the group. Through a number of alleyways, down the busy dull streets of the undercity, and after what felt like a lifetime of walking on unsteady legs you finally came to a stop in front of a bar, The Last Drop.

You were glad for the warmth that hit you when you were lead inside and up a set of stairs, the noise from the lower floor dying out as you were guided into a dark office. Silco gestured for you to take a seat on the sofa to the side of the room, you dropped down onto the surprisingly soft cushions sighing as you felt you body relaxed a little, finally finding some relief after running and walking for so long.

Silco watched you, your eyes distantly watching a space on the coffee table. He knew just by looking at you that you were from Piltover, you clothing too fine for anything made in Zaun. Your appearance too clean, even with wind slept hair. You were a pretty thing.

He poured you a glass of whiskey, handing it to you, your eyes scanned over the liquid before glancing up to Silco, he could see the fear there. "I have no intentions of poisoning you" He said it with a smirk trying to put you at ease but he could see your hesitation still when you reached out to take the glass.

Silco took his own glass and sat on the coffee table, right in front of you now, legs close enough to touch as he watched you look at the drink a moment before finally lifting it to your lips.

You took a gulp of the drink, it burnt the back of your throat causing you to cough. This made Silco laugh, he took the drink from you placing both on the table beside him.

"No quite what you're used to I suppose"

"Not quite" Your voice was small still but he was glad at the small smile that pulled at your lips.

"Why are you here?" Silco watched as you took a deep breath and looked up at him, eyes meeting, he noticed that you didn't look away from him like others, your eyes drifted to his scars occasionally but he could see no disgust in your face, you were simply looking at him.

"Have you ever felt trapped? Like your life has been decided for you? You have no choice? This morning I felt that for the first time and... I just left. I didn't even know where I was going I just ran" Silco's brows furrowed as he tried to piece together what you were saying.

"Who was trapping you?"

"My family? My name? My fathers stupid need to have me marry whatever his name is so that his position is secure" Silco watched you as you carried on talking, explaining your morning to him, you were growing more and more angry as the words left your mouth.

Suddenly you stopped talking and looked up to him, realising now how embarrassed you were, sitting here spewing words at a man like Silco, a man who was dangerous, who ran the undercity. You felt your face grow hot and you looked away from him. "I'm sorry, you don't need to know any of this"

"I asked" Silco stood up, reaching for a box of cigars on his desk and lighting one up. He turned to look at you, blowing out a puff of smoke. He watched you with curious eyes. Silco couldn't quite pinpoint what it was about you, but something kept his attentioned pulled your way, how miserable you looked perhaps, or perhaps it was because you looked so utterly betrayed by your family, a feeling he knew well.

He looked over you face, tired eyes staring at yours hands, he recognized the lost look on your face and it made him angry, he couldn't help feel frustrated at the emotions you were making him feel, he was so used to playing the cold hard crime lord that he'd almost forgot what it was like to want to comfort someone. Yet here he was wanting nothing more than to make you smile. Someone he knew nothing about, known for less than a couple of hours.

"You can stay here tonight" His voice startled you again, your eyes snapping up to him.

"You mean it?"

"Yes" You jumped up from the sofa before you could even think about what you were doing, your warm arms enveloped Silco, he froze up so a moment, his body tensed, but he let himself relax into you, his arm coming around you and resting on your shoulder. "You can stay"

You'd never felt so safe in that moment, you couldn't quite understand what force was bringing you and Silco together like this but you thanked it with all of your heart, you stayed there a moment longer, relishing the comfort his arms brought before he pulled away from you.

That was weeks ago, since then your life had been a series of sneaking around, but you'd mastered it now. You knew exactly how to sneak out of Piltover and get to Silco. You and Silco had decided it would be easier to return home, spin a story of how you'd stayed with a friend to cool off so that your family wouldn't suspect you were headed to the undercity almost every night to meet the crime lord of Zaun himself.

He would always be waiting for you, hidden in the shadows of an archway near the bridge, you would rush into his arms, needy and desperate kisses shared against the brick wall before you even thought about going back to The Last Drop. You couldn't keep your hands off of each other, both of you rushed to be together again.

But this night was different, Silco noticed when your kiss was short, when you wouldn't quite meet his gaze, your eyes glassy from tears.

"What is it?" He watches as you paced a little, the light from the moon hitting your face as you moved.

"It's next week" Silco stood still for a moment before realisation dawned on him. "I can't do this Silco, I can't go back, they'll make me marry him"

Tears were falling down your cheeks now, illuminated by the light. Silco reached for you pulling you into him, seeing you this way ignited an anger in him that he wasn't sure he could control if it spilt over. "I won't let it happen" He held you tightly, shushing you, placing small kisses on your head, trying to calm you down.

"How?" You sniffed. "How can we stop it?"

"Simple. You don't go back"

"They'll find me eventually, my father is on the council he will send men Silco for us-" Silco placed a kiss on your lips silencing you. You met his eyes, his face close enough to yours that you could brush you nose against his. He smirked and placed a small kiss on your lips once more before speaking.

"Let him try"

[syomi]

hii!! can i get something with windbreaker exclusive with joker?? im not really tall slavic girl. •things i love about myself… i think my hips and hair👉🏻👈🏻 •my love language is physical touches and gifts •some very cliched moment like in manga/anime (like kabedon🥲) •i know that the joker is not a good guy and etc, but those short moments where his attitude towards relatives is shown ... this is something. •aesthetic for my polaroid i guess its just about my aesthetic in general, so i guess it’s endless love for streetstyle, tattoos cars and motorcycles…should i mention that in fact im really goofy and horny …soft person??

thank you for that cool opportunity to these “polaroids” aand have a good day/night🥺✨🤍

the fluorescent lights of the parking lot reflect off the hood of your car. the subtle purring from your engine echoing against the cemented walls made your hands loosen its grip.

you can't explain your "relationship" with the brute underground fighter. the glint of his eyes when violence looms around the corner causes your legs to tremble but the somewhat rough tug when he hugs comforts you.

your freshly cleaned rims took the curve of the lot with ease as your fingers whips the car to your usual spot. your eyes attentively searches for any sign of the tall man. zipping of cars and night lifers being chatty in the hot zone for entertainment accompanies you until the arrival of your guest.

unbeknownst to you, the night wasn't as cold as the weather woman forecasted. a flash of heat leads to the fan circulating cool air. you check your messages and see the app's notifications blankㅡ worry pitches a tent in the depth of your stomach.

what ifs never haunted your mind because the giant boxer waited for you, due to your schedule but this time you understood how he felt at each fleeting second. a knock, firm and abrupt, interrupts your worries with a second of fear. that cold yet, pitying gaze reduces your heart rate.

"gosh, your phone works!"

he counters your complaint, holding his damaged phone with an expressionless look. your eyes stare at the cracked phone screen and to his face before unlocking your door.

this is the usual for his meet-ups. having no time during the day and sometimes night, he meets you after doing the dirty work of a rich man that prefers his hands clean. there's a sense of relief though. at least his phone is battered and not his body.

you haven't accepted his wounded appearance, you only got used to being quiet and being the soft flame that adds warmth to his numbed demeanour. he eyes your hair in the light of the rising moon, his bandaged fingers lifts your locks for a closer examination.

a man of few words but by the hum, he likes your new do,"i got it color rinse. i felt my hair was looking dull, maybe from the cold air, so i asked the newbie in the shop to add a rinse."

his body got closer. his head rests around your own, the difference between you and him was obvious. instinctively his arms cages you between them and your legs parted with his knee, his eventually crossed as he takes a whiff of the new shampoo and conditioning set you washed with when you first met him.

a knowing sigh passes your lips, accepting his embrace and rubbing his back. words aren't needed to describe his anxieties. progressively his muscles became lax as he looked down at you, his lips muttering a mute wish before kissing yours.

joker isn't an affectionate man but he tried to keep up with your increasing need for more than a kiss. he pulls away and his hand rests at the small of your back, motioning to the direction of his car. an adornment piece and arrangement of flowers waits in the passenger seat.